Bangladesh has slipped one notch to rank as the world’s 13th most corrupt country in 2025, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index published by the global anti-graft civil society organisation Transparency International.
The country ranked 14th most corrupt in 2024.
Out of 182 countries assessed, Bangladesh scored 24 out of 100, remaining far below the global average score of 42, according to the index.
Transparency International Bangladesh, the Bangladesh chapter of the Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog, presented the findings at a press conference at its Dhaka office on Tuesday, describing the country’s performance as ‘disappointing.’
Although Bangladesh’s score increased by one point to 24 in 2025 from 23 in 2024, the country slipped one position in the global ranking when counted from the bottom, making it the 13th most corrupt country among 182 nations.
‘Bangladesh’s one-point increase is mainly due to a positive assessment of the July mass uprising. However, overall the country has slipped one step because of weaknesses in the reform process, continued corruption at the field level, and other related factors,’ TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman said.
He said that the interim government failed to set any example of transparency during its tenure, adding that the country had lost a major opportunity to lay the foundations for accountable governance.
The CPI is based on data collected between November 2022 and September 2025 and measures perceived levels of public-sector corruption on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates very high corruption and 100 indicates very low corruption.
According to CPI 2025, Denmark topped the list as the least corrupt country with a score of 89, followed by Finland with 88 and Singapore with 84.
At the other end of the spectrum, South Sudan and Somalia jointly ranked as the most corrupt countries, each scoring 9.
Venezuela ranked the second most corrupt with a score of 10, while Yemen, Libya, and Eritrea jointly placed third, each scoring 13.
Among South Asian countries, Bhutan emerged as the best performer with a score of 71. India and the Maldives scored 39 each, followed by Sri Lanka (35), Nepal (34), Pakistan (28), and Afghanistan (16).
TIB said that the result reflects a ‘lost opportunity,’ as the positive perception created by the fall of the authoritarian and kleptocratic rule has been overshadowed by reform setbacks, sustained corrupt practices, and persistent deficits in transparent and accountable governance.
Iftekharuzzaman said that Bangladesh remains the second-lowest scoring country among eight South Asian nations, the fourth lowest among 32 Asia-Pacific countries, and stuck in the lowest quintile globally, ranking 150th out of 180 countries.
‘This places Bangladesh among countries that are clearly losing control of corruption,’ he said.
TIB noted that the 2025 score is the second-lowest Bangladesh has recorded since 2012.
It is also two points lower than the country’s average score for the 2012–2025 period and four points below the highest score of 28 achieved in 2017.
The CPI report stated that Bangladesh’s score of 24 is 18 points below the global average and 21 points lower than the Asia-Pacific regional average of 45.
Iftekharuzzaman said, ‘The result ultimately represents a missed opportunity, as the interim government has failed to set examples of transparency, integrity, and accountability.’
TIB identified several factors behind the lost opportunity, including the absence of a strategic reform agenda and implementation plan, lack of risk analysis and mitigation strategies, ad-hoc reform initiatives, political and bureaucratic resistance, and a ‘pick and choose’ approach to reforms.
TIB described the recent anti-corruption reforms as ‘eyewash,’ saying that the independence, accountability, and effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption Commission remain a ‘pipe dream.’
The organisation also pointed to inaction and resistance within the ACC, bureaucratic opposition to key reforms, and the growing extortionist capture of political and governance spaces, described as an ‘our turn’ syndrome.
TIB called for transparency in political and electoral financing, prioritised action against high-level corruption, depoliticisation of state institutions, including the judiciary, bureaucracy, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies, and the restoration of media freedom and civic space.
Iftekharuzzaman stressed the need for a fundamental transformation of political and bureaucratic culture to prevent public and political positions from being used for private gain.