Bangladesh Hits Worst Corruption Score in 13 Years, Ranks 151st Globally

Bangladesh's Anti-Corruption Efforts Hit a New Low as TIB Reveals Worst CPI Score in Over a Decade

Bangladesh has recorded its worst score on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in 13 years, scoring just 23 out of 100 in the 2024 edition. The result places Bangladesh 151st among 180 nations ? a two-step decline from the previous year ? cementing its position as South Asia's second most corrupt country after Afghanistan. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) disclosed the findings at a press conference held at its Dhanmondi office in Dhaka.

According to Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh, the score reflects the systematic failure of successive governments to hold power accountable, protect whistleblowers, or allow the Anti-Corruption Commission to function independently. "Institutions like the ACC, instead of curbing corruption, have largely remained ineffective," he told reporters, adding that state-backed protection of corrupt individuals and selective law enforcement had become entrenched practices across administrations.

The CPI score of 23 marks the lowest Bangladesh has achieved since 2011. While 56 countries improved their scores globally in 2024, 93 declined. Bangladesh fell in a category of countries where governance deterioration, weak rule of law, and institutional capture by political interests drove scores downward. Out of all South Asian nations, only Bhutan improved its score ? by four points ? while Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Maldives all recorded one-point declines.

Systemic Failures That Drive the Score Down

TIB's analysis identified a pattern that goes beyond individual acts of bribery or misconduct. Corruption in Bangladesh has, over years, transitioned from tolerated behaviour to institutionalised practice and, ultimately, to a form of entitlement among those with political or bureaucratic power. The white-collar theft exposed after the fall of the Awami League government in August 2024 provided dramatic evidence of this progression.

A Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey covering May 2024 to April 2025 found that more than one in every 12 Bangladeshi households admitted to paying bribes or extortion money during that period. The survey, cited by The Daily Star, covers a time when the interim government was actively pursuing anti-corruption reforms ? suggesting that despite political transition, bribery at the ground level continued with little disruption.

Business community voices have reinforced the statistical picture. Senior industry figures told The Daily Star that demands for undue payments from public officials had not declined under the new administration, and in some sectors had actually increased. The public administration, customs, land offices, and law enforcement continue to rank as the highest-risk sectors for daily corruption encounters.

Bangladesh Ranked Against Its Neighbours

Among South Asian nations, Bhutan leads the region with a CPI score of 72, ranking 18th globally ? a performance that reflects consistent institutional investment in anti-corruption governance. India ranks 96th. Sri Lanka holds 107th place, Nepal sits at 121st, and the Maldives at 135th. Bangladesh's position at 151st, with Afghanistan at 165th, means that only one South Asian nation performs worse.

TIB's briefing also drew a direct connection between corruption and climate change ? a critical link for Bangladesh, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. According to Dr Iftekharuzzaman, corruption weakens climate adaptation initiatives, diverts critical resources from flood protection and infrastructure, and undermines international efforts to channel climate finance responsibly. Bangladesh receives significant climate adaptation funding, a portion of which TIB believes is lost to mismanagement and graft before it reaches intended beneficiaries.

What Has to Change ? and Whether It Will

TIB called on the current government to move beyond political prosecutions of past officials and pursue structural reforms: strengthening the ACC's operational independence, establishing a beneficial ownership transparency register for companies, protecting journalists and civil society activists who expose corruption, and ensuring that anti-corruption enforcement applies equally regardless of political affiliation.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has taken high-profile actions since the political transition of August 2024, including filing cases against former ministers, seeking Interpol notices for fugitives, and freezing billions in assets. Critics argue, however, that these actions have concentrated heavily on the previous Awami League government while new sources of corruption emerging under the current administration have drawn less scrutiny.

Whether Bangladesh's 2025 CPI score ? to be released in early 2026 ? will show improvement under the current government's watch, or whether the structural rot runs too deep for one political transition to reverse, is the question anti-corruption advocates in Dhaka are now watching most closely.