Let’s break down in detail how Nepal’s level of perceived corruption compares to other countries, primarily using the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2024, released by Transparency International around January/February 2025. The CPI scores 180 countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be by experts and business people, on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
- Nepal’s Specific Standing in the CPI 2024:
- Score: Nepal scored 34 out of 100.
- Rank: It was ranked 107th out of 180 countries.
What does this score and rank mean? A score of 34 places Nepal significantly in the bottom half of the ranked countries. Transparency International considers any score below 50 to indicate a serious corruption problem. Therefore, Nepal’s score suggests that experts and business people perceive its public sector to be substantially affected by corruption. This includes issues like bribery, diversion of public funds, use of public office for private gain without consequence, and ineffective anti-corruption efforts.
The rank of 107th means that 106 countries are perceived as less corrupt than Nepal, while 72 countries are perceived as more corrupt (with one country sharing the same rank).
- Comparison with Global Averages and Trends:
- Global Average: The global average score on the CPI 2024 remained stagnant at 43 out of 100. Nepal’s score of 34 is considerably below this global average, highlighting a more significant perceived corruption challenge compared to the typical country.
- Global Distribution: A stark reality highlighted by the CPI is that corruption is a widespread issue. For several years, more than two-thirds of countries (including Nepal) have scored below 50. This indicates that most countries are struggling to tackle corruption effectively.
- Nepal’s Trend: Nepal’s score of 34 in the CPI 2024 was a slight decrease from its score of 35 in the CPI 2023 (where it ranked 108th). While the rank saw a marginal “improvement” by one position, the actual score, which is a more direct measure of perceived corruption, slightly declined. Over the past decade, Nepal’s score has fluctuated in the 30s, indicating a persistent and serious challenge with no significant sustained improvements.
- Comparison with Top and Bottom Performers Globally (CPI 2024):
To give you a sense of the spectrum:
- Top Performers (Perceived as Least Corrupt):
- Denmark: Scored 90 (Rank 1st)
- Finland: Scored 88 (Rank 2nd)
- Singapore: Scored 84 (Rank 3rd)
- New Zealand, Norway, and Sweden also consistently score very high. These countries are characterized by strong democratic institutions, rule of law, transparency, and accountability.
- Bottom Performers (Perceived as Most Corrupt):
- South Sudan: Scored 8 (Rank 180th)
- Somalia: Scored 9 (Rank 179th)
- Venezuela: Scored 10 (Rank 178th)
- Countries like Syria, Yemen, and North Korea also typically appear at the bottom of the index. These nations are often plagued by conflict, authoritarianism, collapsed governance, and a lack of basic institutions.
Nepal (34) is far from the bottom but also very distant from the top performers.
- Detailed Regional Comparison (South Asia – CPI 2024):
South Asia, as a region, generally struggles with corruption. Here’s how Nepal compares to its neighbors:
- Bhutan:
- Score: 72 (Rank: 18th)
- Bhutan is the clear outlier in South Asia, performing exceptionally well and significantly above the global average. Its score is more than double Nepal’s. This suggests much stronger perceptions of governance and anti-corruption measures in Bhutan.
- India:
- Score: 38 (Rank: 96th)
- India scores slightly better than Nepal and ranks higher. While still below the global average and indicative of a serious corruption problem, it is perceived as somewhat less corrupt than Nepal.
- Maldives:
- Score: 38 (Rank: 96th)
- Similar to India, the Maldives scores slightly better than Nepal.
- Sri Lanka:
- Score: 32 (Rank: 121st)
- Sri Lanka scored lower than Nepal, indicating a perception of higher corruption. Its ranking is also lower.
- Pakistan:
- Score: 27 (Rank: 135th)
- Pakistan scores significantly lower than Nepal, placing it further down the index and indicating more severe perceived corruption challenges.
- Bangladesh:
- Score: 23 (Rank: 151st)
- Bangladesh is perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the region and globally, with a score substantially lower than Nepal’s.
- Afghanistan:
- Score: 17 (Rank: 165th)
- Afghanistan has one of the lowest scores globally, reflecting extreme levels of perceived corruption, often exacerbated by decades of conflict and instability.
In regional context: Nepal sits in the lower-middle pack within South Asia. It is perceived as more corrupt than Bhutan, India, and the Maldives, but less corrupt than Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
- Understanding the CPI Methodology:
It’s crucial to remember what the CPI measures:
- Perception-Based: It aggregates data from various sources (surveys and assessments by international institutions) that capture the perceptions of corruption by business people and country experts. It doesn’t measure actual reported cases or amounts of money laundered, for instance.
- Public Sector Focus: It specifically looks at corruption within the public sector – abuse of entrusted power for private gain.
- Composite Index: It’s a “poll of polls,” combining different data sources to provide a more robust picture than a single source could.
In Conclusion:
Nepal’s corruption landscape, when viewed through the lens of the CPI 2024, reveals a serious and persistent challenge. Its performance is below the global average and lags behind several regional neighbors, though it is not at the very bottom of either scale. The slight decline in score, even with a marginal rank improvement, suggests that efforts to combat corruption have yet to yield significant positive changes in perception among experts and the business community. Addressing this requires comprehensive reforms focusing on strengthening governance, ensuring accountability, promoting transparency, and fostering political will. You’re looking for a detailed understanding of how Nepal’s corruption levels, as perceived internationally, stack up against other countries. The primary tool for this comparison is the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), published annually by Transparency International. This index is widely recognized and measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories, scoring them on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Let’s break down Nepal’s position based on the CPI 2024 (released in February 2025):
- Nepal’s Specific Performance:
- Score: Nepal scored 34 out of 100.
- Rank: It was ranked 107th out of 180 countries. (Shared with Algeria, Brazil, Malawi, Niger, Thailand, and Turkey, which all also scored 34).
- Significance of the Score: According to Transparency International, any score below 50 indicates a serious corruption problem. Nepal’s score of 34 places it firmly in this category, suggesting that experts and business people perceive its public sector to be significantly affected by corruption. This can include issues like bribery, diversion of public funds, use of public office for private gain without consequences, and nepotism in the civil service.
- Recent Trend: In the CPI 2023, Nepal scored 35 and was ranked 108th. So, while the rank slightly “improved” (numerically lower is better in rank), the actual score decreased by one point. This suggests that perceptions of corruption have not improved and may have marginally worsened, or that other countries’ shifts in score were more significant. Overall, Nepal’s score has remained consistently low for many years, indicating a persistent challenge.
- Global Context:
- Global Average: The global average score on the CPI 2024 remained stagnant at 43 out of 100. Nepal’s score of 34 is 9 points below this global average.
- Widespread Issue: More than two-thirds of countries (over 120 out of 180) scored below 50, highlighting that corruption is a challenge for a vast majority of nations worldwide. Transparency International notes that 85% of the world’s population lives in countries with CPI scores under 50.
- Top Performers (Perceived as “Very Clean”):
- Denmark: 90 (Rank 1st for the seventh consecutive year)
- Finland: 88 (Rank 2nd)
- Singapore: 84 (Rank 3rd)
- New Zealand: 83 (Rank 4th)
- Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg: all scored 81 (Ranked 5th) These countries are characterized by strong democratic institutions, rule of law, transparency, and accountability.
- Bottom Performers (Perceived as “Highly Corrupt”):
- South Sudan: 8 (Rank 180th)
- Somalia: 9 (Rank 179th)
- Venezuela: 10 (Rank 178th)
- Syria: 12 (Rank 177th)
- Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Yemen: all scored 13 (Ranked 173rd) These countries often experience conflict, political instability, weak governance, and a breakdown of the rule of law.
- Regional Comparison (South Asia – CPI 2024):
To understand Nepal’s position more clearly, it’s helpful to compare it with its neighbors in South Asia:
- Bhutan: Score 72 (Rank 18th). Bhutan is a significant outlier in the region, consistently performing exceptionally well and perceived as far less corrupt than its neighbors. Its score is well above the global average.
- India: Score 38 (Rank 96th). Perceived as less corrupt than Nepal, but still below the global average and indicative of a serious corruption problem.
- Maldives: Score 38 (Rank 96th). Similar to India in terms of perceived corruption levels.
- Nepal: Score 34 (Rank 107th).
- Sri Lanka: Score 32 (Rank 121st). Perceived as slightly more corrupt than Nepal in the CPI 2024.
- Pakistan: Score 27 (Rank 135th). Perceived as significantly more corrupt than Nepal.
- Bangladesh: Score 23 (Rank 151st). Faces a very high perception of corruption, ranking second lowest in South Asia.
- Afghanistan: Score 17 (Rank 165th). Consistently one of the lowest-scoring countries in the region and globally, perceived as highly corrupt.
This regional comparison shows Nepal in the lower-middle pack within South Asia. While not perceived as the most corrupt in the region, it lags considerably behind Bhutan and also scores lower than India and the Maldives.
- Understanding the CPI Methodology:
It’s crucial to remember what the CPI measures:
- Perception-Based: It is a “poll of polls,” aggregating data from various expert assessments and surveys of business people. It doesn’t measure actual instances of corruption (which are difficult to quantify directly) but rather the perceptions of corruption in the public sector.
- Focus: It focuses on public sector corruption, such as bribery, diversion of public funds, officials using their public office for private gain, nepotism, and state capture.
- Sources: The CPI 2024 uses data from 13 different sources from various independent institutions specializing in governance and business climate analysis.
In Detailed Summary:
Nepal’s CPI score of 34 and rank of 107th in the 2024 index clearly indicate a high level of perceived public sector corruption. This is a long-standing issue, as reflected in its consistent low scores over the years. Globally, Nepal is well below the average and significantly trails countries with strong governance. Regionally, it sits behind Bhutan, India, and the Maldives but ahead of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan in terms of corruption perception.
This persistent low score underscores the deep-rooted nature of corruption challenges in Nepal, impacting its development, governance, and public trust. While the CPI is a perception-based index, it is a critical comparative tool that highlights the scale of the problem and the urgent need for comprehensive anti-corruption reforms.