Dhaka February 11 2025:
Bangladesh has scored 23 out of 100, one point less than 2023, and placed two steps lower in ranking from the top –151stamong 180 countries or territories. Bangladesh were 149thin 2023 and in 2024 score it is the 14th lowest.
Bangladesh is the second lowest in South Asia and 5th lowest in Asia-Pacific.
The 2024 score is the lowest since 2012, which places Bangladesh among countries that are “losing control of corruption”
Such facts were revealed in a press conference organized by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Tuesday, to mark the global release of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2024 conducted by Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) at it’s city office.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman chaired the press conference while Dr. Sumaiya Khair Advisor, Executive Committee TIB was present during the conference.
More specifically, Bangladesh’s 2024 score is three points lower than 2012, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018; five points lower than the highest score of 28 achieved in 2017.
For the 2012-2024 period Bangladesh is the only country other than Sri Lanka in South Asia that has lost score (both were under most authoritarian regimes).
The performance is extremely disappointing –Bangladesh is among 122 countries (more than two-thirds) that have scored below 50 and considered to have ‘serious corruption problem’.
Bangladesh’s score is also 20 points lower than global average of 43, and we are among 101 such countries that have ‘very serious corruption problem’.
Bangladesh (23) is lower than the average for countries with lowest HDI (29) and Closed Civic Space (29), lowest among all regional averages including the lowest scoring Sub-Saharan Africa (33).
According the research, CPI 2024: Bangladesh is losing control. Bangladesh’s performance is extremely disappointing –lowest since 2012: we are “losing control of corruption”.
It Scored 23 out of 100, one point less than 2023, and placed two steps lower from top –151stamong 180
Bangladesh’s 2024 score is the 14thlowest score among other countries.
Bangladesh is the second lowest in South Asia and 5th lowest in Asia-Pacific.
For the 2012-2024 period Bangladesh is the only country other than Sri Lanka in South Asia that has lost score (both were under most authoritarian regimes).
Our score of 23 is 6 points worse than the average for authoritarian regimes.
Bangladesh is among 122 countries (more than two-thirds) that have scored below 50 and considered to have ‘serious corruption problem’. Our score is also 20 points lower than global average of 43, and we are among 101 such countries that have ‘very serious corruption problem’.
Bangladesh score is 6 points lower than the average for countries with lowest HDI, 6 points lower than the average for countries with Closed Civic Space, and 10 points lower than the Sub-Saharan African average (33) which is the lowest scoring region of the world
Top beneficiaries of Bangladesh’s corruption in terms of money laundering are ironically some of best performers as per CPI.
Besides the research revealed, global highlights & trends of corruption is disappointing. No country has scored 100 per cent -Most countries have made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption since 2012.
Out of 122 countries (68 per cent) had scored below 50 (‘serious corruption problem’).
Among 101 countries (57 per cent) scored below global average of 43 which means over 80 per cent of the world’s population live with ‘very serious corruption problem’.
Compared to 2023, overall global scores have worsened. 93 declined (compared to 63 in 2023), 31 retained same score (62 in 2023), 56 countries improved (55 improved).
Over a quarter of the countries (47/180) got their lowest scores yet since 2012. Low scoring countries like Bangladesh, Brazil, Cuba, Russia and Sri Lanka, are joined by high scorers like France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and United States.
However, twenty-five countries have scored their highest. These include: Bhutan, South Korea, Laos, Saudi Arabia.
For the seventh year in a row Denmark has scored highest (90), followed by Finland and Singapore.
Moreover, the key message of CPI 2024 is that corruption is more than a developmental challenge. As an outcome of abuse of power without accountability, deepening corruption is a threat to democracy, stability, human rights and justice.
Though high scoring countries appear to have lower levels of corruption, financial hubs in many of these countries operate as facilitators of money laundering that benefits such countries at the expense of lower scorers.
Leading rich countries of North America and Europe are also seeing decline in scores indicating failure to implement anti-corruption commitments. The failure is particularly reflected in terms of delivering their global funding commitment to address climate change in worst affected countries. For the same reason, many of them are also facing domestic challenges in multiple levels including climate crisis, erosion of rule law and public services.
Anti-corruption must be mainstreamed in national and international development policies across the world in order to control and prevent the devastating effects of corruption on development, democracy, human rights and justice
Factors behind Bangladesh’s continued disappointing result
The data period for CPI 2024 witnessed the peak of kleptocracy-driven authoritarianism. Instead of action against corruption the political and governance systems were was used to promote and protect corruption.
Widespread public sector corruption further intensified especially in public contracting and project implementation.
Besides, No effective action against concrete evidence-based exposures of high-level corruption and related money laundering.
State institutions mandated to control corruption including ACC, public administration, law enforcement and judicial institutions continued to operate under partisan political influence, which was a key factor behind the poor performance
Even after the fall of the authoritarian regime, evidences of continued abuse of power and corrupt practices persisted in political and governance space as a change of turn.
Risks persist in terms of freedom of dissent, free media and civic space.
During the keynote presentation, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman highlighted the way forward to perform better performance are:
Implement recommendations of the Anti-Corruption Reform Commission following the proposed roadmap, with a specific focus on reform of the ACC to make it truly independent and accountable.
Set examples of concrete success in holding to account the highly level corrupt individuals and entities on a priority basis.
Depoliticize state institutions to ensure professional integrity and excellence especially ACC, bureaucracy, law-enforcement and judicial service.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman emphasized for salvage the strategically crucial sectors of public interest from the clutches of policy capture, conflict of interest and partisan political and other influences especially public procurement, banking, trade, power and energy, health, education, land and infrastructure.
He also highlighted the need of assurance freedom of media, civil society and people at large for unrestricted disclosure, reporting and commenting on corruption.
He concluded emphasizing the need of transformation of political culture and practice to be free from treating political and public position as license to private gains.
The press conference was participated by media personalities, activists, researchers and civil society thinkers, among others.
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