Kenya has been recognised as the East African country least exposed to fraud, yet it still ranks 99th out of 112 countries in the 2025 Global Fraud Index.
The ranking showsthat while Kenya fares better than its neighbours, the nation remains highly vulnerable to financial and digital crimes.
The index, compiled by Sumsub and Statista with contributions from CryptoUK, the MENA Fintech Association, and Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, evaluated countries based on anti-fraud policies, institutional infrastructure, fraud prevalence, and economic resilience. Kenya’s regional peers performed worse, keeping East Africa among the most at-risk areas worldwide.
Ethiopia placed 102nd, Rwanda 105th, Uganda 107th, and Tanzania 108th. Across Africa, Mauritius ranked highest at 22nd globally, followed by Botswana (46th), Morocco (50th), Tunisia (67th), and South Africa (74th). Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, came in at 110th, among the bottom three globally.
The report found Africa to be the most exposed continent, with an average vulnerability score of 3.84, compared with the global average of 2.79. Europe (2.13) and the Middle East (2.25) recorded the strongest anti-fraud measures, while Asia Pacific and the Americas averaged 3.50 and 2.83 respectively.
The 2025 study included Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria for the first time. Senegal had the weakest resources to fight fraud, revealing gaps in expertise and technology to counter growing threats.
“Fraud is evolving faster than many national systems can respond,” said Hannes Bezuidenhout, Sumsub’s Vice President for Africa.
“Africa’s digital acceleration presents immense opportunity but also exposes structural weaknesses that must be addressed through policy harmonisation and technology-driven defences.”
Globally, the report highlighted significant shifts between 2024 and 2025. Singapore, which led last year, dropped to 10th place, while Morocco jumped 27 places to 50th, and Thailand moved up 25 positions to 33rd following targeted reforms.
Malaysia fell 52 spots, revealing declining resilience amid increasing cyber risks.
Luxembourg topped the index, followed by Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands, all recognised for robust regulations, high digital literacy, and strong institutional frameworks.
The report urges African nations and private sector players to bridge structural gaps by improving regulations, fostering cross-border data sharing, and adopting fraud-prevention technology.
“This year’s Global Fraud Index shows that fraud protection isn’t about geography; it’s about governance. For technology leaders, the message is clear: treat fraud exposure like system uptime. It requires constant monitoring,” said Timothy Owens, Senior Research Lead at Statista.
