Noakhali records highest bribery rate at 57.17%, Cumilla 2nd, C'nawabganj lowest: BBS survey
Noakhali recorded the highest bribery rate at 57.17%, followed by Cumilla (53.47%), Faridpur (51.70%). Chapainawabganj recorded the lowest rate at 10.49%, followed by Magura (13.98%), Lalmonirhat (14.50%).
Noakhali and Cumilla have emerged as the districts with the highest prevalence of bribery in Bangladesh, while Chapainawabganj has the lowest, according to the findings of Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2025 released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The CPS 2025 final report was formally unveiled at the BBS auditorium in the capital's Agargaon today (24 December).
The district-wise data show wide disparities in citizens' experiences of paying bribes when dealing with government offices. Noakhali recorded the highest bribery rate at 57.17%, followed by Cumilla (53.47%), Faridpur (51.70%), Bhola (49.01%) and Sirajganj (48.37%).
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In these districts, about half or more of service-seekers reported having faced bribery while accessing public services.
Respondents from these districts said bribery was particularly common in services related to land administration, police, and local government offices.
In contrast, several districts reported significantly lower bribery prevalence. Chapainawabganj recorded the lowest rate at 10.49%, followed by Magura (13.98%), Lalmonirhat (14.50%), Gazipur (15.24%) and Sylhet (15.61%).
The gap between the highest- and lowest-ranking districts stands at nearly 47 percentage points, highlighting deep regional disparities in corruption and underscoring the need for targeted reforms and strengthened oversight at the district level.
Experts said the variation reflects differences in administrative capacity, service digitalisation, local monitoring mechanisms and citizen awareness. They stress that districts with higher bribery rates require focused reforms, greater transparency in service delivery, and stronger accountability of district administrations.
Using district-level data to design tailored action plans, policymakers could create tangible opportunities to reduce bribery and corruption, experts said.
The BBS conducted the nationwide CPS between 6 and 23 February 2025, covering all 64 districts. Data were collected from 1,920 primary sampling units (PSUs), with interviews conducted among 84,807 respondents aged 18 and above from 45,888 households.
