ABSTRACT
Many South Asian countries do not perform well with respect to their perceived levels of corruption. Included in the 2005 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. On a scale ranging from 0 (very corrupt) to 10 (not corrupt), Sri Lanka performs best, with a score of 3.2, followed by India, with 2.9. Nepal and Afghanistan are rated with 2.5, Pakistan receives a score of 2.1, and Bangladesh, with a score of 1.7, is currently the worst-performing country among 146 included on the list. Other South Asian countries were not included due to lack of data and to the rule that at least three independent sources be available so as to report the assessment with a satisfactory degree of reliability. Dropping this rule, Bhutan would receive a score of 6.9, and the Maldives 4.2. These data might be indicative but measured with less precision.
