Mali drops in transparency international’s 2025 corruption ranking

Mali has slipped one position in the 2025 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, falling from 135th to 136th place worldwide. This decline places the country behind neighbors Niger and Burkina Faso, both members of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

The index, which assesses nations based on their anti-corruption efforts, evaluated 182 countries in 2025. Mali scored 28 out of 100 this year, marking a notable regression from its previous position. Despite government initiatives aimed at combating corruption, the downward trend persists.

underlying governance challenges fuel corruption concerns

Ibrahim Harouna Touré, Regional Coordinator of the Human Rights and Peace Observatory in Gao, highlights systemic issues in governance and accountability as key factors behind Mali’s poor performance. « There is no public debate or scrutiny of major state projects, particularly in public procurement. Accountability is virtually nonexistent », he explains.

The civil society leader further emphasizes the lack of transparency in how public funds are managed by institutions. « It appears to be a governance model where each entity operates independently, often disregarding public oversight », he states. These gaps in accountability, according to Touré, are central to the persistence of corruption in Mali.