… As experts urge stronger collaboration to boost digital security
Nigeria has been ranked 110th out of 112 countries assessed in the 2025 Global Fraud Index released by Sumsub in collaboration with Statista, positioning it among the world’s least fraud-protected nations.
The report underscores Nigeria’s weak institutional response, low resource accessibility, and high exposure to online and financial crime, as the country joins the global study for the first time.
The report, titled “Global Fraud Index 2025,” revealed that Africa remains the most fraud-exposed region in the world, with an average regional score of 3.84, well above the global average of 2.79.
This year’s edition, which examined 112 countries across key indicators such as anti-fraud policy frameworks, fraudulent activity rates, economic resilience, and resource accessibility, highlights Africa’s continued vulnerability to digital and financial fraud despite accelerating efforts to strengthen fraud defences.
Within the continent, Mauritius emerged as the most fraud-protected country, ranking 22nd globally, followed by Botswana (46), Morocco (50), Tunisia (67), and South Africa (74). At the bottom of the table were Nigeria (110), Tanzania (108), Uganda (107), Rwanda (105), and Ethiopia (102), reflecting deep-rooted structural weaknesses in combating financial crime.
Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, technical adviser to the president on Economic and Financial Inclusion, described Nigeria’s ranking as both a challenge and an opportunity. According to him, the inclusion of Nigeria in the Global Fraud Index presents an opportunity to turn awareness into action, ensuring that digital transformation not only strengthens fraud protection but also fosters confidence and empowers underserved communities for economic and financial inclusion.
He stressed that building a safe, inclusive, and trusted digital economy is vital to achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda and realizing Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
Read also: FITC collaborates with NIBSS to tackle fraud in the financial services sector
“The Global Fraud Index results highlight the pressing need for Nigeria to accelerate joint efforts between public, private agencies, and the wider financial industry. Nigeria’s addition to the Index presents an opportunity to turn awareness into action — ensuring that digital transformation not only strengthens fraud protection but also fosters confidence and empowers underserved communities for economic and financial inclusion.
Building a safe, inclusive, and trusted digital economy is essential to achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda and realizing Nigeria’s ambition of a $1 trillion economy by 2030. This demands impact-based approach, collective ownership, sustained innovation, and continuous investment in security, capacity building, and community empowerment,” Zauro added.
While South Africa recorded the highest unemployment rate in the region, its performance on the Index improved significantly, climbing nine places from 83rd to 72nd position. In contrast, Senegal ranked lowest in Africa for resource accessibility, highlighting the limited technical and human capacity available to combat emerging fraud typologies.
Hannes Bezuidenhout, vice president of sales for Africa at Sumsub, warned that “fraud is evolving faster than many national systems can respond.”
He explained that Africa’s digital acceleration presents both immense opportunities and serious risks, adding that “structural weaknesses must be addressed through policy harmonisation and enhanced technology-driven defences.”
Globally, Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands emerged as the top five most protected countries, backed by strong regulatory systems, high digital literacy, and mature institutional safeguards. At the lower end, Pakistan (112), Indonesia (111), and Nigeria (110) recorded the weakest resilience, reflecting persistent governance and capacity gaps.
In regional terms, the Middle East recorded stronger protection frameworks, with Israel leading and Lebanon ranking lowest. In the Americas, Canada emerged as the most secure while Brazil was identified as the most vulnerable. Although the United States fell by 36 positions, it maintained global leadership in artificial intelligence readiness, a key factor in automated fraud detection.
In the Asia-Pacific region, New Zealand ranked highest for fraud protection, while Pakistan remained the least protected globally for the second consecutive year. Singapore, the top performer in 2024, dropped from first to tenth place in 2025, while Morocco improved 27 places and Thailand jumped 25 positions due to targeted anti-fraud reforms. Malaysia, however, fell 52 places, signaling declining resilience amid rising digital threats.
Sumsub’s report emphasized that Africa’s weak fraud protection scores do not solely reflect poor performance but highlight an urgent need for investment in digital infrastructure, harmonised regulatory frameworks, and capacity building across public and private sectors.
“Africa’s digital and financial integration presents both urgency and opportunity. Building resilient systems will require greater collaboration among governments, financial institutions, and technology providers to modernise frameworks, enhance data-sharing, and embed fraud prevention into the continent’s fast-expanding digital economy,” the report noted.
Timothy Owens, Tech and AI industry expert and senior research lead for technology and telecommunications at Statista, said the findings show that “fraud protection isn’t about geography, it’s about governance.”
He cautioned that fraudsters now have access to powerful AI tools that make attacks faster and more sophisticated.
“For technology leaders, the message is clear: treat fraud exposure like system uptime. Verification systems, information sharing between organisations, and robust incident response aren’t optional anymore, they are fundamental components of operating in today’s digital environment,” Owens stated.
The 2025 Global Fraud Index was produced in collaboration with Statista, CryptoUK, the Digital Assets Association, Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, and the MENA Fintech Association. It assessed over 100 countries across multiple parameters, marking an expanded coverage of African nations including Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, and Tanzania.
The report therefore stated that, bridging structural gaps through innovation, collaboration, and policy alignment will be crucial for Nigeria and other African countries to build trust, safeguard innovation, and align with global protection standards.
