Liberia Moves Up One Point In 2025 Corruption Perception Index, CENTAL Urges Stronger Reforms
February 10, 2026
By Laymah Kollie
Monrovia: The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) says Liberia has made marginal progress in the 2025 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), moving up by one point, but warns that more decisive reforms are urgently needed to tackle entrenched corruption and strengthen governance.
Speaking in Monrovia at a press conference, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson Miamen released findings from the 31st edition of Transparency International’s CPI, which assesses perceived levels of public sector corruption in 182 countries and territories worldwide.
According to the report, Liberia scored 28 out of 100 in 2025, ranking 136th out of 182 countries. The score marks a one-point increase from 27 in 2024. In previous report, Liberia improved by two points.
“This is the second consecutive year that Liberia has recorded a one-point increase on the CPI ladder,” Miamen said, describing the progress as marginal but noteworthy under the Boakai-Koung administration. However, he cautioned against complacency, noting that despite recent improvements, Liberia remains among the world’s biggest decliners since 2012, having dropped 13 points over that period.
He attributed nine of those points to declines during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s administration and seven under former President George Weah. Concerns Over Impunity and Weak Institutions, CENTAL expressed deep concern over what it described as Liberia’s consistently poor overall performance and persistent culture of impunity.
Miamen said immunity for corruption remains high, while public integrity institutions continue to suffer from inadequate funding. He questioned the effectiveness of the asset declaration regime and highlighted the lack of full investigations and prosecutions of sanctioned former officials accused of acquiring illicit wealth.
The organization further criticized what it termed as an arbitrary appointment at the Independent National Commission on Human Rights, arguing that the move undermined the rule of law and bypassed established transparent and competitive procedures.
Regionally he said, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the lowest-performing region on the index, with an average score of 32. The highest-scoring countries in the region include Seychelles (68), Cabo Verde (62), Botswana (58), and Rwanda (57).
According to CENTAL’s boss, Liberia, with a score of 28, is listed among countries that have experienced sharp declines since 2012 noting that globally, the CPI average stands at 42 out of 100, the lowest level recorded in more than a decade.
He also noted that Western Europe and European Union lead with an average score of 64, while Sub-Saharan Africa trails at 32. He said for eighth consecutive year, Denmark topped the index with a score of 89, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84).
He added that countries with the lowest scores include South Sudan and Somalia (9 each), and Venezuela (10). Transparency International noted that more than two-thirds of the countries assessed—122 out of 180—scored below 50, indicating widespread corruption challenges across the globe.
CENTAL’s Recommendations
CENTAL says While acknowledging the incremental gains recorded in 2024 and 2025, called for accelerated and transformative anti-corruption measures. “The marginal progress is noted, but more decisive actions are needed,” Miamen emphasized, adding that the one-point increase in 2025 suggests a slowdown in anti-corruption momentum.
CENTAL is recommending the establishment of a specialized anti-corruption court, greater oversight of state-owned enterprises, transparent and evidence-based allocation of the national budget, and adequate financing for anti-graft institutions.
The organization also called for reforms within the judiciary, stronger legislative oversight, and increased citizen and civil society participation in governance processes. CENTAL praised journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens for their sustained advocacy against corruption and urged top government officials including President Joseph Boakai, Speaker Richard Koon, Senate Pro-Tempore Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence, and Chief Justice Yamie Q. Gbeisay to demonstrate stronger collective leadership in steering Liberia’s anti-corruption efforts.
The Corruption Perception Index, launched in 1995, measures perceptions of public sector corruption based on 13 data sources, including assessments from experts and business executives. The index scores countries on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
