Corruption is on the rise in Bangladesh. This was revealed in a press conference held by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) in Dhaka on 25 June 2025 on its survey reserach titled, “Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2025.” The program was attended by TIB’s officials — Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director, Professor Dr. Sumaiya Khair, and Muhammad Badiuzzaman — and the findings were presented by Shahzada M. Akram and Md. Nuruzzaman Farhad. As the press conference revealed, at the national level, 81.6 percent of households in Bangladesh experienced corruption in at least one service sector while accessing public services, and 63.6 percent were compelled to pay bribes.
As the conference, where a group of nationally and internationally renowned experts who were associated with the survey were also present, revealed, compared to 2023, the proportion of households affected by corruption and bribery at the national level increased by 15.1 percent and 25.2 percent, respectively. In 2025, the estimated total value of bribe transactions nationwide amounted to BDT 12,633.2 crore ($102.5 million USD), representing a 15.9 percent increase compared to 2023. This is equivalent to 1.58 percent of the revised national budget for FY 2024–25 and 0.23 percent of the country’s GDP. As in the previous survey, passport services and BRTA (Bangladesh Road Transport Authority) services agencies ranked as the sectors where citizens experienced the highest levels of corruption and bribery.
The survey findings of TIB, presentedr at the conference, indicate that, despite the partial implementation of digitalization in certain service sectors, the persistently high rates of corruption and bribery suggest that the existing system remains conducive to corrupt practices. Due to the complexity of hybrid service delivery mechanisms and reliance on intermediaries, 98.1 percent of households were compelled to pay bribes, while in 91.2 percent of cases, officials and employees of the concerned institutions were directly involved in collecting those bribes. As the primary reason for paying bribes, 81.5 percent of households reported that “services cannot be obtained without paying a bribe,” clearly indicating the institutionalization of corruption.
A comparative analysis shows that the average amount of bribes paid per household was BDT 5,680 (46.10 USD) in 2023, which decreased to BDT 5,124 (41.58 USD) in 2025. However, the incidence of bribe payments or irregular monetary transactions in services such as obtaining tickets for healthcare services and accessing fertilizer in the agricultural sector increased by two to nearly five times. These sectors witnessed a substantial rise in low-value but high-frequency bribery transactions. In the education sector, the primary reason for the increase in corruption was a significant rise in irregular monetary transactions… In addition, although the incidence of bribery did not increase significantly, the growth of other irregularities contributed to an overall increase in corruption in the NGO sector.
The findings highlight the burden of bribery and corruption by noting that, on average, a household spent 1.7 percent of its annual income on bribes. However, in the five most corruption-prone sectors, this burden amounted to 5.1 percent of annual income for households living below the poverty line, compared to 3.2 percent for households above the poverty line. For households living below the poverty line, the total cost of obtaining passport services amounted to 78 percent of their monthly income, of which 37 percent was spent solely on bribes. Similarly, such households had to spend, on average, 34 percent of their monthly income on bribes to access services from law enforcement agencies.
At the press conference, TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said, “Corruption is harmful to everyone, but at the same time, it is discriminatory. While those who abuse power benefit from corruption, its negative impacts fall on poor and low-income people. The survey has also found that people in rural areas have been more vulnerable to corruption… In addition, in several service sectors, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and disadvantaged groups are comparatively more affected by corruption and are being deprived of services rightfully due to them. Therefore, alongside its overall socio-economic costs, it is imperative to prevent and remedy this disease in order to address the discriminatory impacts of corruption.”
As revealed in the conference, there is a severe lack of effective measures and awareness initiatives aimed at preventing corruption. More than half of the households (53.3 percent) are unaware of the procedures for lodging complaints regarding corruption. Among households that experienced corruption in service sectors during the survey period, only 10.3 percent filed complaints. However, many (21.6 percent) of those complaints were not accepted. Among households that did not file complaints, 61.3 percent stated that they considered corruption to be an inherent part of the service delivery system. Moreover, 48.9 percent did not know where or how to file a complaint, and many (32.3 percent) refrained from filing complaints due to fear of harassment or complications.
At the press conference, TIB put forward a ten-point set of recommendations to ensure good governance in service delivery through corruption prevention based on the survey, which is the 11th edition of the study series that has been conducted continuously since 1997, was based on the direct experiences of 15,715 households in eight divisions and was conducted from November 2024 to December 2025. Key recommendations include formulating an integrated anti-corruption strategy based on the government’s 31-point state reform framework, election manifesto commitments, and the July National Charter, while making good governance mandatory across all programmes and initiatives.
Other recommendations include taking strict legal action against corruption; fully digitalizing public services to reduce direct contact between service providers and recipients; introducing codes of conduct in every institution and incorporating citizens’ feedback into annual performance evaluations; strengthening complaint resolution mechanisms and the Anti-Corruption Commission’s hotline (106); proactively disclosing information in accordance with the Right to Information Act; addressing shortages of human resources and logistics in key public service sectors; making annual asset declarations mandatory for government officials and employees; and strengthening social movements against corruption at the local level.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman further said, “As a specialized institution, the responsibility of the Anti-Corruption Commission is to prevent and control corruption… The institution tasked with remedying and controlling corruption must be made independent and effective… The institution’s capacity and credibility must be strengthened, and public confidence in it must be enhanced. At present, an environment has emerged in which the institution is effectively paralyzed despite its existence, with commissioner positions remaining vacant for nearly four months. The government should take responsibility for this situation and, through the Search Committee that has recently been formed, appoint the leadership capable of overcoming the crisis of confidence in the institution reflected in this survey…”
TIB Executive Director further said, ”Given Bangladesh’s political context… the adverse effects of an ACC held hostage to partisan influence are borne not only by ordinary citizens but also by leaders and activists of the ruling party at various levels. Nevertheless, individuals appointed to the ACC must possess the necessary expertise and experience in the relevant fields, as well as the integrity and courage to stand up against corruption and work to control it. They must be able to discharge their responsibilities from a position where all individuals are equal before the law, regardless of their political or other identities and status. This is our expectation from the government.”
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DISCLAIMER: The piece was sent by TI Bangladesh to Dhaka Opinion Magazine. Views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Magazine and its editorial team. Views published are the sole responsibility of the author(s).
