Bangladesh has scored 23 out of 100 in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024, one point lower than in 2023, and has fallen two places in the rankings to 151st among 180 countries.
In 2023, Bangladesh ranked 149th in Transparency International’s CPI. The latest score of 23 is the country’s lowest since 2012 and ranks as the 14th lowest globally, the second lowest in South Asia, and the fifth lowest in the Asia-Pacific region.
Since 2012, the country’s score has fluctuated between 25 and 28, but in 2023, it declined to 24 and further dropped to 23 in 2024.
“The performance is extremely disappointing. Bangladesh is among 122 countries — more than two-thirds — that have scored below 50 and are considered to have a ‘serious corruption problem’,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), while unveiling the report at a press conference at the TIB office in the capital’s Dhanmondi today.
Bangladesh’s score is 20 points lower than the global average of 43 and places the country among 101 nations classified as having a “very serious corruption problem”, he added.
Ironically, some of the biggest beneficiaries of Bangladesh’s corruption, in terms of money laundering, are among the best performers in the CPI rankings, he said.
Widespread public sector corruption, particularly in public procurement and project implementation, is a key reason behind Bangladesh’s continued poor performance, Iftekharuzzaman said.
Other contributing factors include the lack of effective action against concrete evidence of high-level corruption and related money laundering. Additionally, state institutions mandated to tackle corruption — such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), public administration, law enforcement, and the judiciary — continue to function under partisan political influence, which remains a major impediment, according to TIB.
Despite the fall of an authoritarian regime, the abuse of power and corrupt practices persist in politics and governance, Iftekharuzzaman said, adding that “Risks remain in terms of freedom of dissent, free media, and civic space.”
Responding to a question, Iftekharuzzaman said that since August 5, 2024, cases of politicisation, encroachment, and extortion have surfaced. While individuals and banners have changed, the entrenched practices of corruption remain.
“However, we want to remain hopeful,” he said.
The period covered by the CPI report is between November 2021 and September 2024.
