India ranks 77 in global bribery risk matrix

New Delhi: India is at 77th position with a score of 45 in a global list that measures business bribery risks of 2020. 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, South Sudan, Venezuela and Eritrea present the highest commercial bribery risk, while Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand present the lowest. In 2019, India's rank stood 78 position with a score of 48 while in 2020 the country was ranked 77 with a score of 45, the data showed. The score is based on four factors business interactions with government, anti-bribery deterrence and enforcement, government and civil service transparency, and capacity for civil society oversight, including the role of the media. India fared better than its neighbours - Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bangladesh. Bhutan, meanwhile, secured 48th rank with a score of 37, the data showed.

"China has potentially helped to reduce opportunities for bribe demands by public officials by continuing to streamline its bureaucracy," TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix said in a statement. Apart from India, Peru, Jordan, North Macedonia, Colombia and Montenegro also have a score of 45 in the matrix.

Somalia moved out of the bottom ranking, which it held from 2017 to 2019, and is now ranked 187th out of 194. The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix said it measures the likelihood of bribe demands in 194 jurisdictions. It was originally published in 2014 to meet a need in the business community for more reliable, nuanced information about the risks of commercial bribery worldwide. The matrix aggregates relevant data obtained from leading public interest and international organisations, including the United Nations, World Bank, V-Dem Institute at the University of Gothenburg and World Economic Forum. This data helps companies to assess the likely risk of bribe demands in each country and to design compliance and due diligence programs tailored to that risk, it said.