According to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2015 published by TI on Wednesday, Nepal is the third most corrupt country in South Asia after Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and 15th most corrupt globally on the basis of scores.
Nepal with a score of 27 out of 100 ranks in 130th position, slipping by four positions from last year, states the report titled 'Corruption still rife but 2015 saw pockets of hope'. Bhutan -- the least corrupt country in the region -- ranks 27 out of 168 countries, with a score of 65. Last year Nepal was placed 126th with a score of 29. Globally, Nepal is the 16th most corrupt country. According to the report, overall weak governance and politics has dragged the country down.
In South Asia, India ranks second -- after Bhutan -- with a score of 38, Sri Lanka third with a score of 37 and Pakistan with a score of 30 ranks fourth, followed by Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, states the report that has not listed Maldives in the index.
Grand corruption is the abuse of high-level power that benefits the few at the expense of the many, and causes serious and widespread harm to individuals and society, TI said, adding that it often goes unpunished.
Nepal continues to perform poorly and has been one of the most corrupt countries, according to the report. Conflict and war, poor governance, weak public institutions like the police and the judiciary, and a lack of independence in the media characterise the lowest ranked countries.
Top performers share some key characteristics, such as high levels of press freedom; access to budget information so the public knows where the money comes from and how it is spent; high levels of integrity among people in power; and judiciaries that don't differentiate between rich and poor and are truly independent from other parts of government," the report states.
The annual survey by the Berlin-based watchdog said the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) measures the extent of corruption within a country, on a scale ranging from zero to 100. Countries securing higher scores are rated as the least corrupt and the low scorers are perceived to be the most corrupt.
Countries with a score below 50 are perceived as highly corrupt and those that secure 100 are the cleanest, according to TI.
A country's score can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption, and public institutions that don't respond to citizens' needs. The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on expert opinions concerning public sector corruption.
Nepal has failed to improve either its country-wise ranking or its score in the index which shows Denmark to be the least corrupt country with a score of 91. North Korea and Somalia are the most corrupt countries with scores of 8. Afghanistan ranks as third most corrupt country globally after North Korea and Somalia, and as the most corrupt country in South Asia, the report further shows.
The big decliners in the past four years include Libya, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Turkey. The big improvers include Greece, Senegal and the UK.
Corruption can be beaten if we work together, TI has said, adding, "To stamp out the abuse of power and bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough."
"The 2015 Corruption Perceptions Index clearly shows that corruption remains a blight around the world," said José Ugaz, chair of Transparency International. "But 2015 was also a year when people again took to the streets to protest corruption. People across the globe sent a strong signal to those in power: it is time to tackle grand corruption."
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