BBS Citizen Survey: Noakhali tops bribery rates, C’nawabganj lowest

Staff Reporter :

Noakhali and Cumilla have emerged as the districts with the highest prevalence of bribery in Bangladesh, while Chapainawabganj recorded the lowest rate, according to the Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2025 released by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The final report of the nationwide survey was formally unveiled on Wednesday at the BBS auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka. The findings reveal sharp regional disparities in citizens’ experiences of paying bribes while accessing government services.

District-wise data show that Noakhali recorded the highest bribery rate at 57.17 per cent, followed by Cumilla at 53.47 per cent and Faridpur at 51.70 per cent. Bhola and Sirajganj also reported high levels, with 49.01 per cent and 48.37 per cent respectively.
In these districts, around half or more of service-seekers said they faced demands for bribes when dealing with public offices.

At the other end of the spectrum, Chapainawabganj reported the lowest bribery rate at 10.49 per cent. It was followed by Magura at 13.98 per cent, Lalmonirhat at 14.50 per cent, Gazipur at 15.24 per cent and Sylhet at 15.61 per cent.

The gap between the highest and lowest ranking districts stands at nearly 47 percentage points, highlighting deep regional inequalities in corruption and governance.
The survey also found that bribery was particularly common in services related to land administration, police and local government offices.

According to BBS data, nearly one-third of citizens across the country had to pay bribes in 2024 while seeking government services. Overall, 31.67 per cent of respondents said they paid bribes in the past 12 months.

Gender differences were also evident. While 22.71 per cent of women reported facing bribery, the figure among men was significantly higher at 38.62 per cent, indicating that male service-seekers encounter corrupt practices more frequently.

The CPS further revealed that the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) was the most corruption-prone institution. About 63.29 per cent of citizens who sought services from BRTA offices in the past year reported bribery.

Law enforcement agencies followed with 57.96 per cent, while passport offices stood at 57.45 per cent.

Despite widespread concern over bribery, the survey noted relatively high levels of satisfaction with certain public services.
Among service recipients, 72.69 per cent expressed satisfaction with government healthcare services, 81.56 per cent with primary education and 78.20 per cent with secondary education. Satisfaction with other government services was lower, at 66.91 per cent.

The data also show heavy reliance on public services. In the past year, 47.12 per cent of respondents received government healthcare, 40.93 per cent said at least one child in their household was enrolled in a government school, and 73.77 per cent sought services such as national identity cards, birth registration or similar documents.

The CPS 2025 was conducted between 6 and 23 February 2025 across all 64 districts. The BBS collected data from 1,920 primary sampling units, interviewing 84,807 individuals aged 18 and above from 45,888 households.

The survey assessed citizens’ experiences and perceptions related to personal security, access to justice, corruption and the quality of public services, contributing to the monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 16.

Experts said the wide variation in bribery rates reflects differences in administrative capacity, digitalisation of services, local monitoring mechanisms and citizen awareness.

They stressed that districts with higher bribery prevalence need targeted reforms, greater transparency in service delivery and stronger accountability of district administrations.
Using district-level data to design tailored action plans could create real opportunities to reduce bribery and curb corruption, they added.