KATHMANDU: Transparency International has concluded that corruption has increased at an alarming rate in Nepal.

According to a survey conducted by Transparency International on 180 countries this year (Corruption Perceptions Index), Nepal ranks 117th in the world in terms of corruption.

Last year, Nepal ranked 113th on the list. “This shows that Nepal is one of the most corrupt countries in the world,” said Transparency International.

Transparency International today released the Global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). A score of 100 in the index indicates that it is very clean and zero point indicates that it is very corrupt. This year, Nepal has scored only 33 out of 100 points.

According to a survey carried out by six organizations, the government’s anti-corruption efforts are inadequate, corruption and abuse of power in the public sector, lack of action against public officials, bribery in business, and lack of citizen access to information persist, ‘said Transparency International.

The organizations included the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, Global Insight, the Bertelsmann Foundation, the World Justice Project and VDEM.

Of the 180 countries included in this year’s index, Denmark and New Zealand are the least corrupt with 88 points out of 100. South Sudan and Somalia have been ranked as the most corrupt countries with 12 points.

In the CPI 2020, Bhutan ranks 24th among South Asian nations with 68 points, Maldives 75th with 43 points, India ranks 86th with 40 points, Sri Lanka 94th with 38 points and Pakistan ranks 124th with 31 points. Bangladesh ranks146th with 26 points and Afghanistan 165th with 19 points. Neighboring China ranks 78th with 42 points.

Transparency International, which has been publishing such an index every year since 1995, had included Nepal since 2004.