Kigali – Wednesday, 3rd December 2025 : Transparency International Rwanda (TI-Rwanda) has launched the 16th edition of the Rwanda Bribery Index (RBI), its annual publication assessing experiences and perceptions of bribery as a specific form of corruption in Rwanda.
According to RBI 2025 findings, 64.60% of respondents (up from 59.20% in 2024) consider the level of corruption in Rwanda to be low. Meanwhile, 20.40% perceive corruption to be at a medium level, and 13.20% view it as high.
As observed in previous editions, the majority of Rwandans continue to acknowledge the government’s anti-corruption efforts. In 2025, 83.22% of respondents rated these efforts as effective, an increase from 80.50% in 2024.
The survey also shows that 14.60% of respondents directly or indirectly encountered bribery in the past 12 months, representing a 3.90% decrease from 18.50% in 2024.
TI-Rwanda’s Executive Director, Apollinaire Mupiganyi, acknowledged the positive trend but emphasized the need for deeper systemic improvements.
“The decline in bribery encounters reflects meaningful progress driven by strengthened enforcement and growing accountability across institutions. This trend is also consistent with other international surveys, including the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). However, persistent challenges, particularly in service delivery, show that fighting corruption requires coordinated action, proactive information sharing, and continuous capacity building,” he said.
While the national likelihood of bribery stands at 2.50% in 2025, down from 3.20% in 2024, the private sector and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) recorded the highest likelihood of bribery, at 8.90% and 6.20%, respectively. Notably, the likelihood of bribery in the Rwanda National Police has declined steadily over the past four years, from 16.40% in 2022 to 11.02% in 2023, 9.40% in 2024, and then 6.20% in 2025.
Similarly, the national prevalence of bribery decreased to 1.50%, from 2.10% in 2024. The highest levels were recorded in the private sector (8%) and local government (4.30%), followed by institutions such as the Rwanda Energy Group – REG (3.70%), prosecution (3.50%), and the Water and Sanitation Corporation – WASAC (2.80%).
The services most prone to corruption include acquiring a construction permit (22.90%), getting a driving license (16.60%), obtaining a land title certificate 13.60%, illegal construction disallowed by the master plan (13.60%), and recruitment in the private sector (7.90%). Additionally, bribery in utilities such as water (6.70%) and electricity (5.10%) continues to hinder equitable access, despite improvements elsewhere.
Regarding bribery occurrences within the business community (SDG 16.5.1 and SDG 16.5.2), the study indicates that at least 4.20% of business people were demanded to pay bribes in 2025, and 1.14% of them ended up paying. Among those who paid, 10.70% did so for business purposes.
Bribe Encounters Decline, but the Financial Burden of Corruption Persists
Despite the drop in bribery encounters (from 29.10% in 2022 to 22% in 2023, 18.50% 2024 and 14.60% 2025), the financial cost of corruption remains alarmingly high.
The average bribe amount in 2025 increased to 269,148Rwf, a sharp rise from 65,543Rwf in 2024. This escalation disproportionately burdens low-income households, more than 71% of whom reported monthly family incomes of 100,000Rwf or below.
Commenting on this trend, Mupiganyi noted : “These figures reveal a complex corruption landscape where both high-level systems and routine services are affected. They point to the urgent need for targeted reforms, greater digital transparency, and stronger accountability mechanisms that protect citizens, especially the most vulnerable.”
The report highlights that bribery continues to be severely underreported. In 2025, 90.5% of those who encountered bribery did not report the cases, only a slight change from 92% in 2024.
The most common reasons for non-reporting include : “it did not occur to me that I should report” (24%), belief that no action would be taken (16%), lack of trust in responsible institutions or individuals meant to receive reports (13%), fear of intimidation (10%), fear of self-incrimination (10%), and lack of knowledge about where to report (8%).
RBI 2025 calls for intensified efforts to address corruption risks in the private sector, traffic-related services, and local government—especially in construction permits, procurement, and recruitment processes. It also underscores the need to tackle bribery in water and electricity utilities and to strengthen public awareness campaigns that encourage citizens to report corruption.
In her remarks, Chief Ombudsperson, Hon. Nirere Madeleine underscored : “The Office of the Ombudsman reaffirms its dedication to strengthening the synergies created and to implementing evidence-based recommendations emerging from studies such as the RBI. We will continue working closely with all stakeholders to ensure that our joint efforts deliver tangible and lasting impact.”
Background
The Rwanda Bribery Index (RBI) is an annual publication by Transparency International Rwanda since 2010. It aims to assess the prevalence and perception of bribery in Rwanda, identify institutions most vulnerable to corruption, and evaluate the impact of bribery on service delivery.
RBI 2025 marks the 16th edition of this critical study. Conducted across Rwanda’s four provinces and the City of Kigali, the survey sampled 2,360 respondents from 11 quasi-randomly selected districts. Of these, 53.56% were men and 46.44% women. In terms of residence, 55.47% of respondents lived in rural areas, while 44.53% were from urban areas.