Transparency International (TI) says its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) warns of “troubling picture” in Central Asia. The report notes that Central Asia is the region struggling with “dysfunctional rule of law, rising authoritarianism, and systemic corruption.”
The corruption watchdog released its annual survey on January 30, noting that the average score of 35 out of 100 makes Central Asia the second lowest-scoring region in the world, after the Middle East and North Africa region, with a score of 34.
Concerning Tajikistan, the report notes that ranking at the bottom in the region, Tajikistan (20) reportedly continues struggling with severe corruption issues.
Authoritarian control over state institutions by ruling elites reportedly has family taken root, with corruption being used to sustain power and avoid accountability.
Tajikistan’s low scores reflect systematic governance deficits and a lack of independent oversight, where corruption erodes various levels of society and state, while undermining civic and political rights.
Tajikistan, Azerbaijan (23) and Turkmenistan (18) along with Afghanistan (20), were in the bottom of the 180 countries surveyed.
CPI ranks Tajikistan 162nd among 180 nations. According to the report, Tajikistan’s score went down by four points since 2021-2020 and by five points since 2019.
The report says Uzbekistan stands out in the region as a significant improver on the CPI with a score of 33 (+15 since 2014).
Kazakhstan (39) is reportedly making some progress in addressing corruption issues, including through legal reforms and recovering stolen assets.
As far as Kyrgyzstan is concerned, the report shows its score going down by five points since 2020. The report highlighted the deteriorating situation in Kyrgyzstan (26), which it says has turned from "a bastion of democracy with a vibrant civil society to a consolidated authoritarian regime that uses its justice system to target critics."
The report notes that Turkmenistan (18), like Tajikistan, continues struggling with severe corruption issues. Its low scores also reflect systematic governance deficits and a lack of independent oversight, where corruption erodes various levels of society and state, while undermining civic and political rights.
The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories around the globe by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, scoring on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
