Bhutan’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) score increased by four places, from 68 in 2023 to 72 last year. This improvement has moved Bhutan to the 18th position globally out of 180 countries and territories, a jump from 26th in 2023. In the Asia-Pacific region, Bhutan has achieved a milestone by securing the fifth position after a decade of stagnation at the sixth position. The Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 was released on 11th February.
According to the report, the improvement in the score is a statistically significant jump that Bhutan has made since 2012.
The improvement places Bhutan in the list of significant movers, surpassing countries such as Belgium, Japan, Uruguay, Austria, France, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates, which were placed above Bhutan in the previous CPIs.
Bhutan’s score of 72 also exceeded the average score of 62 for the European Union and also maintained its position as the top performer in the South Asian Region.
According to the report, Bhutan’s CPI score reflects its strong institutional framework and governance, supported by positive assessments from the World Bank, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index, and the Global Insight Country Risk Ratings. While the country has effective anti-corruption strategies and legal frameworks, challenges persist in tackling public sector corruption and economic issues such as a rising trade deficit and foreign currency depletion.
The report recommends governments to uphold integrity in climate efforts, ensure that policy-making is free from undue influence, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and enhance citizen engagement.
The CPI 2024 highlighted that 32 countries have significantly improved in the fight against corruption since 2012, whereas 148 countries have stayed stagnant or gotten worse during the same period.
Denmark has consistently maintained its position as the most corruption-free country for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Finland and Singapore.
Over two-thirds of countries scored below 50.
The CPI 2024 evaluated and ranked 180 countries and territories based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption with a measurement scale of 0 to 100, where 100 corresponds to a very clean environment and 0 indicates a high level of corruption.
Tashi Dekar
Edited by Phub Gyem
