Tk 126.33b paid in bribes in 1 year during interim govt: TIB

A total of Tk 12,633.20 crore (Over Tk 126.33 billion) was paid in bribes across various service sectors over a one-year period from November 2024 to October 2025, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

TIB said the survey titled “Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2025” analyses the state of corruption during the tenure of the interim government.

The findings were presented at TIB’s office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on Thursday morning.

Using the sample framework of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), TIB conducted the survey by selecting 1,149 areas from rural and urban parts of all eight divisions of the country in two phases through random sampling.

The survey covered 18 specific service sectors. TIB had previously carried out a similar survey in 2023.

According to the latest survey findings, as in 2023, the highest proportion of people in 2025 faced bribery and corruption while seeking services from the passport office (76.6 per cent) and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) (63.5 per cent). These were followed by law enforcement agencies, agriculture, land-related services and judicial services.

The average amount of bribes paid per household was also highest in these sectors, the survey report said.

However, the overall average amount of bribes paid per household fell by nearly 10 per cent compared with 2023. In the past year, the average bribe paid per household stood at Tk 5,124.

The survey found that 81.5 per cent of households believed it was difficult to obtain services without paying bribes. In particular, the high incidence of bribery and corruption in law enforcement and judicial services was seen as a major obstacle to people’s access to justice. At the same time, corruption in the agriculture, local government, land, education, health, passport and BRTA sectors had either increased or remained unchanged.

Despite being victims of corruption, 61.3 per cent of households did not lodge any complaint. According to them, the entire system is corrupt. Nearly half of the households also said they had no idea where or how to file a complaint about corruption.

Although 29.5 per cent of households said they were aware of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), and only 1.4 per cent knew about the government’s Grievance Redress System (GRS), the rate of filing complaints remained very low. Even when complaints were made, many were not accepted or no action was taken.

Survey participants said the main drivers of corruption were impunity, lack of awareness, and the fact that those involved in corruption often benefited rather than being punished.

The survey also found that rural households were more likely than urban households to face bribery (66 per cent compared with 58.5 per cent). However, in terms of the amount paid, urban households had to pay more. Low-income households were also forced to pay a larger share of their income in bribes.

TIB’s report further said the situation was even more difficult for “women, indigenous people and persons with disabilities”.

The report noted that although digital services had been introduced in various sectors, they had not proved fully effective in reducing corruption. In many cases, service seekers still had to rely on brokers or middlemen, leaving ample scope for bribery and other corrupt practices.