Bangladesh 143rd in TI corruption perceptions index

Bangladesh has been ranked 143rd among the 180 countries in the Berlin-based Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2017, reports UNB.

Executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman unveiled the annual CPI at a press conference in the city on Thursday.

The index covers 180 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean), says the TI study released globally.

On a scale of 100, Bangladesh has scored 28, an increase of two points from 26 in CPI 2016.

All South Asian countries -- Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka -- scored more and ranked higher than Bangladesh in CPI 2017 except Afghanistan.

Bangladesh was earlier placed at the bottom of the list for five successive years from 2001-2005. In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, it was ranked 3, 7, 10, 13, and 12 respectively while in 2011 and 2012, Bangladesh was 13th, 16th in 2013, 14th in 2014 and 13th in 2015.

This year's Corruption Perceptions Index highlights that the majority of countries are making little or no progress in ending corruption, while further analysis shows journalists and activists in corrupt countries risking their lives every day in an effort to speak out.

The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

This year, the index found that over two-thirds of countries scored below 50, with an average score of 43. Unfortunately, compared to recent years, this poor performance is nothing new.

This year, New Zealand and Denmark have ranked highest with scores of 89 and 88 respectively.

On the other hand, Syria, South Sudan and Somalia have ranked lowest with scores of 14, 12 and 9 respectively.

The best performing region is Western Europe with an average score of 66. The worst performing regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 34).

Further analysis of the results indicates that countries with the least protection for press and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) also tend to have the worst rates of corruption.

Every week at least one journalist is killed in a country that is highly corrupt.

The analysis, which incorporates data from the Committee to Protect Journalists, shows that in the last six years, nine out of 10 journalists were killed in countries that score 45 or less on the index.