Mymensingh Tops in Corruption, Khulna Leads in Bribery
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
A survey by Transparency International Bangladesh has found that Mymensingh Division recorded the highest level of corruption in the service sector among Basngladesh’s divisions, while Khulna Division ranked highest in bribery.
The findings emerged from TIB’s report titled ‘Corruption in Service Sectors: National Household Survey 2025’, released on Thursday.
According to the survey, 88.9 percent of people in Mymensingh Division experienced corruption. In the division, 66.6 percent of respondents said they had to pay bribes to obtain services. In Khulna Division, 70.6 percent of people said they were forced to pay bribes to access services. The overall corruption rate in Khulna stood at 88 percent.
In Barishal Division, 87.6 percent of people experienced corruption, while 69.1 percent reported paying bribes. In Rangpur Division, the rates stood at 85.7 percent for corruption and 62.8 percent for bribery.
In Dhaka Division, 80.1 percent of people experienced corruption, while 63.9 percent reported paying bribes. In Chattogram Division, the rates were 79.4 percent and 59.4 percent respectively. In Sylhet Division, 79.3 percent of people experienced corruption and 58.9 percent paid bribes.
According to the TIB survey, Rajshahi Division recorded the lowest levels of both corruption and bribery in the country. The corruption rate there stood at 72.9 percent, while 58.8 percent of respondents said they had been forced to pay bribes.
Corruption and bribery remain at an alarming level nationwide. The survey found that 81.6 percent of people across the country experienced some form of corruption, while 63.6 percent paid bribes.
Although the rates vary by division, corruption and bribery have emerged as structural problems across almost every region of the country. The survey results show that while the nature and extent of corruption differ from one area to another, a large portion of citizens continue to face direct experiences of corruption and bribery.
Meanwhile, as in 2023, passport services (76.6 percent) and services from the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (63.5 percent) remained the sectors where people most frequently encountered bribery and corruption in 2025. Law enforcement agencies, agriculture, land administration, and judicial services followed. These sectors also recorded the highest average bribe amounts per household.
However, the average amount of bribes paid per household declined by nearly 10 percent compared with 2023. The average bribe paid per household last year stood at Tk 5,124.
The survey found that 81.5 percent of participating households believe it is difficult to obtain services without paying bribes. High rates of bribery and corruption in law enforcement and judicial services, in particular, continue to obstruct access to justice. At the same time, corruption has increased or remained unchanged in the agriculture, local government, land administration, education, health, passport, and BRTA sectors.
