India slips to 82 in bribery rankings

India has slipped to 82nd position in 2021, five places down from 77th rank last year, in a global list that measures business bribery risks.

The list by TRACE, an anti-bribery standard setting organisation, measures business bribery risk in 194 countries, territories, and autonomous and semi-autonomous regions.

According to this year’s data, North Korea, Turkmenistan, Venezuela and Eritrea pose the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand present the lowest.

In 2020, India ranked 77 with a score of 45 while this year, the country stood at 82nd position with a score of 44, the data showed.

This score is based on four factors – business interactions with the government, anti-bribery deterrence and enforcement, government and civil service transparency, and capacity for civil society oversight which includes the role of the media.

India fared better than its neighbours – Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Bhutan, meanwhile, secured 62nd rank, the data showed.