Corruption in public sector continues to plague Nepal: Transparency International

Publish date : 29 January, 2019

Nepal in 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index

KATHMANDU, Jan 29: Corruption in the public sector, business and by the government officials continues to plague Nepal even after the 2017 elections, a Transparency International report stated.

The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index, published by Transparency International, states that Nepal ranks at 124th position with 31 scores out the 180 countries. Nepal ranked 122 last year. Transparency International has been publishing the report since 1995. Nepal was incorporated in its country list from 2004 AD.

“Nepal’s score is concerning,” the reports states.

The 2018 CPI draws on 13 surveys and expert assessments to measure public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, giving each a score from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

According to the report, Denmark and New Zealand top the Index with 88 and 87 points, respectively. Somalia, South Sudan, and Syria are at the bottom of the index, with 10, 13 and 13 points, respectively. The highest scoring region is Western Europe and the European Union, with an average score of 66, while the lowest scoring regions are Sub-Saharan Africa (average score 32) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (average score 35).

It states that more than two-thirds of countries score below 50, with an average score of only 43. Since 2012, only 20 countries have significantly improved their scores, including Estonia and Côte D’Ivoire, and 16 have significantly declined, including, Australia, Chile and Malta.

Perhaps most disturbing is that the vast majority of countries assessed have made little to no progress. Only 20 have made significant progress in recent years, it states.

In South Asia, Bhutan ranked at 25, India at 78, Srilanka at 89, Pakistan at 117, Maldives at 124, Bangladesh at 149 and Afghanistan at 172.

The report states that massive public mobilization against corruption and voter turnout resulted in new governments and anti-corruption reforms in India, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Pakistan.