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Bangladesh ranked among top ten corrupt countries across the globe in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023, as bribery, misappropriation of government funds, uncontrolled abuse of public office for private gain, and excessive red-tape in state work mostly escalated in the concluding year.
Bangladesh scored 24 out of 100 and ranked 10th from the bottom out of 180 countries, slipping two notches compared to 2022, indicating that corruption in Bangladesh hit the highest in the last era, according to the report.
The country slipped to this basket again after 2008, the year ruled by the caretaker government, and since then, though Bangladesh saw corruption in every layer of government services, it secured the position between 12th and 17th position during 2009 and 2022.
Transparency International – based in Berlin, Germany – conducted the survey and revealed the data worldwide, while the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman presented the Bangladesh portion of the report at a press conference at its Dhanmondi office in the capital on Tuesday.
The CPI measures the perceived level of corruption on a scale of 0 to 100. A score of “0” is considered to be the most affected by corruption and a score of “100” is considered to be the least affected by corruption or well governed.
Analysis shows that Bangladesh, during 2001-2005 years mostly in BNP terms, was champion in corruption. Then it took a little breather in the following years. Finally, it secured 7th and 10th position in 2007 and 2008 consecutively when the country was ruled by the caretaker government.
Later, when the Awami League led government took charge for the second time in 2009, the country witnessed a lower corruption compared to severity in the previous terms. But the situation again deteriorated after 2017, when the country ranked 17th from the bottom.
Bangladesh has slipped to the most corrupt countries basket every year since 2021, indicating the country’s corruption is again increasing steadily.
In 2021, Bangladesh was in 13th most corrupt country in the globe, while it was in 12th position in 2022, and in the concluded 2023, it ranked again at 10th position in the corruption index.
Addressing the brief on Tuesday, TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “The performance is disappointing. Bangladesh’s score is 19 points lower than the global average of 43, indicating a very serious corruption problem in the country.
“Such a position proves that the government's commitment to ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption has not materialised due to weak law enforcement and infrastructure.”
He added, “The key reason behind this kind of result is policy capture for abuse of lobby power especially in the banking sector ravaged by loan default and related swindling, financial fraud, and money laundering.
“Also sustained control and intimidation of media and civil society, surveillance, intolerance, and reprisal of disclosure and reporting on corruption.”
Earlier “Bangladesh Business Environment Study 2023: Findings from the Executive Opinion Survey,” conducted jointly by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and World Economic Forum (WEF) showed similar findings.
It said that the businesses in Bangladesh navigated tough challenges last year due to unprecedented corruption plaguing logistics, licensing, and many service-providing activities, which in turn weakened the country’s trade and commerce atmosphere.
This issue poses significant risks to the country’s economy, at a time when most large and small businesses had already witnessed a significant decline in production last year.
Way forward
To witness better days in the near future, Transparency International recommends depoliticizing state institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission, bureaucracy, law enforcement, and judicial service and partisan political influence in public procurement.
Also, the government should address partisan political influence in banking, trade, power and energy, health, education, land, and infrastructure projects.
Besides, ensuring freedom of the media, civil society, and people at large for unrestricted disclosure, reporting, and commenting on corruption is a must.
The country should bring a paradigm shift in its political culture free from treating political and public positions as licenses to personal gains.
What about South Asia?
Bangladesh’s score is 21 points less than the average of 45 for the Asia-Pacific region. Among the eight South Asian countries, Bangladesh remains the second-lowest followed by Afghanistan.
Among the eight countries, Bhutan has scored 68 and Nepal and Pakistan improved. All South Asian countries except Bhutan have scored below the global average of 43.
The global average score of CPI 2023 is 43 where Denmark ranked 1st scoring 90, while Somalia scored 11, ranking at the bottom of the list among 180 countries. Score of 55 countries increased, 62 remained unchanged, and 63 decreased.
No nationally generated data, including TIB research, are included in CPI. Only 13 international surveys rolling from November 2023 to September 2023, and for Bangladesh 8 surveys, have been included in the CPI 2023.
