Ghana records slight improvement in 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index

Ghana has recorded a modest improvement in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), moving up one place in the latest global rankings, even as corruption continues to pose a serious challenge worldwide.

According to the CPI released by Transparency International on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Ghana scored forty-three (43) out of one hundred (100), placing the country seventy-sixth (76th) out of one hundred and eighty-two (182) countries and territories assessed. The score represents a one-point increase compared with the previous year and reflects a slight upward movement in Ghana’s global position.

The CPI measures perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on assessments from experts and business leaders. Scores range from zero (0), indicating a highly corrupt public sector, to one hundred (100), which denotes very clean governance. With a score of forty-three (43), Ghana sits just above the global average of forty-two (42), which fell to a new low in the 2025 report.

Transparency International’s latest findings present a sobering global outlook. The organisation notes that corruption remains a serious threat across all regions, with only limited signs of sustained progress. While thirty-one (31) countries have significantly reduced corruption levels since 2012, the majority have either stagnated or worsened over the same period. More than two-thirds of countries score below fifty (50), underlining the scale of the challenge.

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For Ghana, the slight improvement points to incremental progress rather than a major breakthrough. CPI scores typically change slowly, and a one-point rise is often interpreted as marginal gains in areas such as transparency, public accountability or enforcement. At the same time, the score confirms that corruption remains a structural concern, particularly in public procurement, political financing and the effectiveness of oversight institutions.

The broader CPI report links persistent corruption to weakened democratic safeguards, including the erosion of checks and balances and pressure on independent civil society. Transparency International warns that abuses of power thrive where institutions mandated to hold leaders accountable are undermined, often fuelling public frustration and demands for reform.

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Ghana’s CPI trend over the past decade has been marked by fluctuations rather than sustained progress. The latest improvement, while welcome, reinforces the need for consistent and long-term anti-corruption measures beyond short-term initiatives tied to political cycles.