Nigeria ranked 121st  in the 2026 Chandler Good Government Index out of 133 nations assessed based on governments’ capabilities and effectiveness.

The index measures 35 indicators across seven pillars, giving governments a framework to benchmark performance, identify gaps, and learn from other nations.

Nigeria slipped down six places from its previous 116th position in the 2025 Index to rank 121st in the newly released 2026 Index released on Thursday. 

The West African nation was among the worst performing countries on the index measured across seven pillars which include; Financial Stewardship,  Global Influence & Reputation and so on.

Nigeria placed 80th in financial stewardship, 114th in global influence and reputation, 118th in leadership & foresight, 122nd in strong institutions, 122nd again in attractive marketplace, 123rd in robust laws & policies and 124th in helping people rise.

The nation performed poorly assessing other key indicators such as health where it ranked 132nd and 125th in passport strength.

The top performing African nations are Mauritius (55th position), Rwanda (62nd position) Botswana (70th position), Morocco (79th position) and Tanzania (80th position). South Africa ranked 85th in the Index.

The director of knowledge at Chandler Governance Group, Dinesh Naidu, said country must be able to take stock of their performance and highlight areas of improvement.

“Every country faces its own governance challenges and is driven by varying priorities. Governments that are willing to take stock of the evidence and learn from peers to strengthen their institutions are well placed to achieve real improvements,” Mr Naidu said.