The latest data from Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index gave Somalia a score of 9 out of 100, placing it 179th out of 180 countries. Somalia has occupied the lowest tier of the index for more than a decade, and watchdog groups say issues are deeply-rooted structural problems that have been resistant to any and all cleanup efforts.
For years, Somalia has produced few results from policies that are supposed to strengthen accountability, including a national anti-corruption commission and a revamped public-finance management system. But enforcement is basically non-existent, and analysts say that the country’s institutions are weak after decades of conflict.
Aid agencies have also warned that corruption drains international assistance and slows reconstruction. Governance failures contribute directly to the country's continued problems. Transparency International says that corruption has hindered economic development and strained humanitarian programs, with oversight gaps allowing funds to vanish before reaching intended communities.
No funds intended for the country are safe. A report by Transparency in February 2025 found that corruption is having a direct impact on the arrival of funds to sub-Saharan countries in the Horn of Africa. In a report titled, “2024 Corruption Perceptions Index: Climate funds at risk of theft as sub-Saharan Africa faces some of the highest levels of corruption,” a study finds that funds are unable to help the situation due to being stolen, despite Somalia being considered one of the countries being most impacted by climate change, especially in the agricultural sector.
In Minnesota, the “Feeding Our Future” scandal—one of, if not the largest the largest welfare fraud cases in US history—has led to charges against more than 75 people, almost all Somali. Prosecutors say the nonprofit billed state and federal programs for thousands of nonexistent meals during the pandemic. Federal officials describe the scheme as a major breakdown in the monitoring of public-assistance funds.
Comments by President Donald Trump recently have forced the issue into the mainstream conversation. During a December 2 cabinet meeting, Trump called Somali migrants “garbage” and said he did not want them in the country. He also criticized Somalia itself, saying the country “stinks,” and pointed to the Minnesota fraud investigation as evidence of major issues within the Somali-American community. Trump has moved to tighten immigration enforcement, rolling back protections such as Temporary Protected Status for Somalis living in the United States.
