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Bangladesh has dropped two spots in the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI), now ranking 151st alongside Congo and Iran. Last year, it held the 149th position out of 180 countries. This decline was announced by Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), during a press conference on February 11, following the release of the CPI 2024 report.
The CPI measures perceived corruption on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 representing extreme corruption and 100 signifying a corruption-free environment. Bangladesh scored 23 out of 100 in 2024, a decrease of 1 point from the previous year and the lowest score in the past 13 years.
Bangladesh’s current score places it in the second-lowest position in South Asia, just ahead of Afghanistan, which scored 17. Since 2012, Bangladesh’s CPI score has fluctuated between 25-28, but it dropped to 24 in 2023, and now stands at 23 in 2024.
Transparency International also highlighted concerns about the vulnerability of crucial climate funds in Bangladesh, warning that these resources are at risk of embezzlement and corruption. As one of the largest recipients of climate finance, Bangladesh is urged to ensure transparency and accountability to protect these funds meant to help millions of citizens.
The report noted that governments across the Asia Pacific region are failing to meet anti-corruption commitments, contributing to a broader decline in the region’s CPI score. The average score for Asia Pacific dropped by one point in 2024 to 44, signaling the growing impact of corruption on environmental policies, climate finance, and regulation enforcement.
Globally, the 2024 CPI saw improvements in 56 countries, while 93 saw a decline, and 31 remained unchanged. No country achieved a perfect score, and over two-thirds of nations scored below 50, with the global average at 43.
Denmark led the ranking as the least corrupt nation with a score of 90, followed by Finland and Singapore with scores of 88 and 84, respectively. At the bottom of the list were South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela, with scores of 8, 9, and 10.
