Dhaka, June 25: Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has revealed that a staggering Tk 12,633.20 crore (Tk 126.33 billion) was paid in bribes across various service sectors over a one-year period from November 2024 to October 2025 during the tenure of the interim government.
The findings came from TIB’s latest survey titled “Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2025”, unveiled at its office in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, on Thursday.
Conducted using the sample framework of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the survey covered 1,149 rural and urban areas across all eight divisions and examined corruption in 18 key service sectors.
According to the report, the passport office remains the most corruption-affected sector, with 76.6 per cent of service seekers reporting bribery, followed by the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) at 63.5 per cent. Law enforcement agencies, agriculture, land-related services and judicial services also ranked among the worst-affected sectors.
TIB noted that the average amount of bribes paid per household stood at Tk 5,124 over the past year, although the figure marks a nearly 10 per cent decline compared to the 2023 survey.
The survey found that 81.5 per cent of households believed obtaining services without paying bribes was difficult. Corruption in law enforcement and judicial services was identified as a major barrier to access to justice, while bribery in agriculture, local government, land, education, health, passport and BRTA sectors either increased or remained unchanged.
Despite experiencing corruption, 61.3 per cent of households did not file any complaint, citing a belief that the entire system was corrupt. Nearly half of the respondents also said they were unaware of where or how to lodge complaints.
Although 29.5 per cent of households were aware of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), only 1.4 per cent knew about the government’s Grievance Redress System (GRS), highlighting a major gap in public awareness.
The survey further identified impunity, lack of awareness and the benefits enjoyed by corrupt individuals as the key drivers of corruption.
TIB also found that rural households faced bribery more frequently than urban households, with 66 per cent reporting such experiences compared to 58.5 per cent in urban areas. However, urban households paid larger amounts in bribes. Low-income families were disproportionately affected, spending a higher share of their income on bribes.
The report added that women, indigenous communities and persons with disabilities faced even greater challenges in accessing corruption-free services.
TIB observed that despite the introduction of digital services in various sectors, corruption persists due to the continued influence of brokers and middlemen, limiting the effectiveness of digitisation in curbing bribery.
