CORRUPTION remains one of the most pressing and deeply-rooted challenges today. Despite noticeable economic progress and ambitious development goals, the pervasive influence of corruption continues to undermine institutions, distort public service delivery and erode the rule of law. From the misappropriation of public funds and the manipulation of state resources to the systemic abuse of power across various sectors, including education, health care, land management and law enforcement, corruption has become embedded in both governance structures and everyday life. Its consequences are not only economic but also social and political, exacerbating inequality, weakening state legitimacy and diminishing public trust. It is imperative to examine the multifaceted dimensions of corruption, analysing its economic costs, impact on governance, public service delivery, social justice and national development.
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Economic costs of corruption
CORRUPTION exerts a heavy toll on the economy by distorting markets, inflating costs, and undermining both investor confidence and public service delivery. According to 2022 World Bank estimates, corruption-related inefficiencies cost the country between 2鈥�3 per cent of its gross domestic product annually. This is not merely a statistical loss. It translates into reduced national output, poorer infrastructure and fewer resources for essential public services.
At the heart of this economic drain is the systemic diversion of public resources for private gains. Bribes demanded by public officials inflate the cost of doing business, reduce competitiveness and erode fairness in public procurement. Projects are frequently awarded based not on merit or technical soundness but on kickbacks, leading to poor-quality infrastructure and misallocated development funds. The result is not only inefficiency but a breach of trust that discourages both domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors. In such a climate, innovation is stifled and long-term economic planning becomes precarious.
The inefficiencies ripple through every level of the economy. Corruption imposes unofficial costs on citizens, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, who are forced to pay bribes to obtain routine services such as driving licences, passports or land registration. For many, this means borrowing money, cutting back on basic necessities, or abandoning important legal and civic processes altogether. This disproportionately affects the poor and marginalised, exacerbating inequality and limiting social mobility.
Furthermore, corrosive effects of corruption weaken institutional capacity and erode public trust in governance and financial systems. Tax evasion and embezzlement reduce state revenue, depriving the government of critical funding needed for health care, education and social safety nets. As public confidence in state institutions diminishes, so does compliance with laws and regulations, creating a feedback loop of impunity and inefficiency.
In the broader context, the cumulative economic distortion can trap the country in a cycle of underdevelopment, political instability and social unrest. With Bangladesh striving to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and graduate from least developed country status, combating corruption is not just a moral imperative, it is also a requisite for sustainable economic growth and inclusive national progress.
Undermining governance: Corruption undermines governance by weakening public institutions, diminishing state legitimacy and obstructing the effective delivery of public services, law enforcement and justice. It erodes public trust in state institutions and fractures the social contract between the government and its citizens. When access to basic public services or civil documentation depends on bribes and intermediaries, public services become a tool of extortion rather than empowerment. This fosters alienation from the state, discourages civic engagement and weakens democratic values, as reflected in the findings of the survey.
Public service delivery: Corruption in public service delivery remains one of the most visible and harmful forms of governance failure. Essential services such as education, health care and social welfare programmes, which are meant to uplift the most vulnerable segments of society, are frequently undermined by systemic inefficiencies, rent-seeking behaviour and a lack of accountability.
In the education sector, corruption takes many forms, including the misappropriation of school funds, nepotistic hiring of teachers, unauthorised collection of fees and manipulation of examination results. These unethical practices severely undermine the quality of education and deepen social inequality as underprivileged students are often unable to pay bribes or gain access to reputable institutions. The consequences are far-reaching as compromised education weakens the development of skilled human resources, an essential pillar for progress across all sectors.
The healthcare system suffers from similar problems. From bribery for hospital admission and preferential treatment to the embezzlement of funds meant for rural clinics or maternal health programmes, corruption severely limits access to timely and quality medical care. Patients, particularly in rural areas, often face informal payment even for services that are officially free, deterring them from seeking medical help until their condition worsens.
In social welfare programmes, including poverty alleviation schemes, food distribution and cash assistance for the elderly or people with disabilities, corruption often occurs through the manipulation of beneficiary lists, favouritism in resource allocation and demands for bribes to access entitlement. As a result, many intended beneficiaries are excluded or forced to pay for rights that should be freely available.
Socioeconomic inequality: Corruption is not only a governance issue. It is also a powerful driver of social inequality, disproportionately burdening the poor, the marginalized and vulnerable segments of the population. Those with limited economic means are often unable to pay bribes to access essential services such as health care, education, land registration or legal aid. As a result, they are systematically excluded from the very services meant to alleviate poverty and promote social mobility. This deepens the divide between the privileged and the disadvantaged, reinforcing the cycle of deprivation.
Corruption plays a critical role in entrenching and exacerbating social and economic inequality, particularly for the poor and the marginalised. It distorts markets, skews access to public goods and services and undermines fair competition. When citizens seek basic necessities such as housing, health care, education or food, they often find themselves in an unfair competition with individuals who have acquired wealth and influence through corrupt means.
In such an environment, honest, law-abiding citizens are systematically disadvantaged. For example, a person who has gained illicit wealth through bribery, embezzlement or political connections can easily outbid others for land, essential commodities or access to private services, often without questioning the price. In contrast, individuals who earn their living through legitimate means are frequently priced out of the market, unable to afford the inflated costs driven by corrupt actors with deep, unearned pockets.
This dynamic is especially damaging in sectors where scarce public resources are allocated such as government housing schemes, school admission, hospital beds or utility connections. Corrupt officials may demand bribes or give preferential treatment to those offering illicit incentives, pushing the poor further into the margins. As a result, those who need public services the most are the ones who are most often excluded from them.
Over time, this imbalance fosters a dual economy, one that benefits the corrupt and well-connected and another where the majority struggle to survive in an unequal, unjust system. Not only does this erode public trust in institutions, but it also discourages merit-based advancement, limits social mobility and fuels resentment and frustration among citizens.
Moreover, when people observe that corruption is the way to success and survival, it sends out a dangerous signal that integrity and hard work are not only undervalued but actively punished. This undermines the social contract, weakens civic values and perpetuates a culture of impunity. Economic justice cannot be achieved unless the playing field is level and access to opportunities is based on fairness, not favouritism.
The impact of corruption is not experienced equally across society. It is also gendered. The 2025 Citizen Perception Survey of the Bureau of Statistics found that 61.43 per cent of men and 41.85 per cent of women who accessed public services reported paying bribes. While this may suggest that women are less affected by corruption, such an interpretation is misleading. Women often have less direct interaction with corruption-prone services because women have limited agency and restricted access to public institutions and decision-making spaces, especially in rural and conservative contexts and may face different, under-reported forms of corruption such as sextortion or harassment. Often, women must rely on male relatives or intermediaries to interact with authorities or access public services which masks their direct encounters with corruption but increases their vulnerability to indirect exploitation and exclusion. A gender-sensitive approach is essential to fully understand the unequal and hidden impacts of corruption.
Moreover, the costs of corruption for women extend beyond the financial. Women often face harassment, intimidation or even sexual coercion in听 navigating corrupt systems, an aspect of corruption that remains largely under-reported and unaddressed. This not only violates their dignity but also deters them from seeking services, asserting their rights or participating in public life. In sectors like health care, for an example, corruption can prevent women from accessing maternal and reproductive health services, with life-threatening consequences.
Additionally, corruption in welfare programmes such as stipends for female students, cash transfer for widows, or safety nets for female-headed households can result in exclusion, mis-allocation or unfair distribution, further marginalising women who already face structural barriers.
To address the challenges, anti-corruption strategies must adopt a socially inclusive and gender-sensitive lens. This includes collecting sex-disaggregated data, involving women in oversight mechanism, ensuring their safe and direct access to public services and creating complaint systems that are accessible, confidential and responsive to gender-based corruption.
Corruption in land management and link to crime: As highlighted in the Bureau of Statistics report, corruption in land management, particularly in land registration, mutation and record-keeping, remains one of the most entrenched and harmful forms of administrative malpractice. This sector, deeply intertwined with both personal wealth and social status, is plagued by bribery, document forgery, collusion between land officials and vested interest groups, and deliberate manipulation of land records.
The consequences of such corrupt practices are far-reaching. In a country where land is a critical economic and cultural asset, maladministration in land-related matters not only deprives citizens of their rightful property but also becomes a major source of conflict and criminality. Disputes over ownership, encroachment, illegal possession and fraudulent registration often escalate into violence, extortion or prolonged legal battles.
It is estimated that 70鈥�80 per cent of crimes are directly or indirectly linked to land disputes. These include cases of assault, murder, illegal occupation, arson and intimidation, frequently arising from contested ownership or efforts to evict occupants through force or fabricated legal claims. Such disputes are often exacerbated by the absence of transparent land records and the willingness of corrupt officials to facilitate or ignore irregularities in exchange for bribes.
This surge in land-related crimes places a heavy burden on law enforcement and the judicial system. Police resources are disproportionately allocated to resolving land disputes, cases that are often prolonged because of the lack of accurate documentation or due to political interference. As a result, law enforcement agencies are stretched thin, diverting attention and resources away from other critical public safety functions.
Moreover, the lack of trust in formal land administration pushes many citizens to rely on informal or coercive methods to assert or protect their claims, further entrenching a cycle of lawlessness and weakening the rule of law. Vulnerable people, particularly the poor, women and marginalised groups, are disproportionately affected as they are less likely to have the means or connections to navigate or challenge a corrupt system.
To break this cycle, Bangladesh must urgently pursue comprehensive land reforms, including the digitisation of land records, the implementation of one-stop service centres, improved training and oversight for land officials and strong punitive measures against corruption. Establishing transparent, accessible and tamper-proof land administration systems is not only an economic imperative, it is a requisite for reducing crimes, strengthening the justice system and restoring citizens鈥� confidence in the state.
Corruption of law enforcement agencies and other partners in the criminal justice system has far-reaching consequences that undermine social trust, justice and effective governance. One of the most significant impacts is the erosion of public confidence in the criminal justice system. Bribery and undue political influence often obstruct justice, allowing offenders to escape accountability while victims are denied legal redress. This distortion of justice not only weakens the rule of law but also empowers criminal elements.
Corrupt practices are often linked to human rights violation such as custodial torture, arbitrary arrests and harassment, particularly targeting the underprivileged. Poor and marginalised communities suffer disproportionately as they are often forced to pay bribes for basic legal protection and services. These abuses diminish Bangladesh鈥檚 international standing and hinder sustainable development. In essence, corruption reinforces social inequality, obstructs justice and weakens the foundations of accountable governance.
The right to defend one鈥檚 life and protect one鈥檚 property is among the most fundamental and indispensable rights of human existence. It forms the bedrock of any civilised society. The institutions and agencies entrusted with the responsibility to safeguard these rights such as law enforcement, the judiciary, and administrative bodies must carry out their duties with unwavering dedication, impartiality and integrity. Their action should be guided by justice, not swayed by fear, favour or personal gain. When these institutions fail to uphold their mandate, the resulting deprivation can be boundless and devastating, eroding public trust and deepening social injustice. In such a scenario, justice must not be left to cry alone in darkness, it demands a voice, a presence and, above all, accountability.
The evidence makes it clear that corruption is not a series of isolated incidents but a systemic crisis that affects nearly every aspect of public life. It weakens institutions, widens social inequality, obstructs justice and undermines the development trajectory. The impact is especially severe for the poor, women and marginalised communities, who face both direct and indirect exclusion from essential services and legal protection. To reverse this entrenched pattern, Bangladesh must pursue a holistic and inclusive anti-corruption strategy, one that emphasises institutional reform, transparency, accountability, digital governance and strong enforcement of legal safeguards. Combating corruption is not only a moral obligation but also a strategic necessity for building a just, equitable and prosperous society. Without urgent and sustained action, the promise of good governance and sustainable development will remain out of reach.
To be continued.
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Dr Md Motiar Rahman is a retired deputy inspector general of police.
