Bangladesh has risen one spot in global corruption rankings, now standing 13th among the world’s most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
The country was ranked 14th in 2024.
The announcement was made at a Dhaka press conference organised by TIBon Tuesday, Februar 10, where Executive Director Dr Iftikharuzzaman presented the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025.
The index is based on data collected between November 2023 and September 2025.
The CPI measures perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates the highest corruption and 100 the lowest. Bangladesh’s score fell below the global average of 42, marking the lowest CPI score for the country in the past 12 years.
Globally, Denmark ranks as the least corrupt country, while South Sudan and Somalia have the highest corruption levels. Within South Asia, only Afghanistan ranks higher in corruption than Bangladesh, while Bhutan recorded the lowest level of corruption in the region with a score of 71.
Iftikharuzzaman noted that corruption in Bangladesh is steadily worsening and stressed that political will is crucial to curb it.
Failures of both current and previous governments, combined with partisan politics and the politicization of the bureaucracy, continue to hinder meaningful reform, he added.
KR/MHK