Overview
A moderate, Islamic democracy, Bangladesh is an ally of the
U.S. Government. However, Bangladesh continues to rank poorly
in corruption perception surveys. Weakness in its democratic
institutions is severely hampering economic growth
In 2002, Bangladesh scored 1.2 on the Corruption Perceptions
Index (on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being most corrupt).
This is an improvement from its score of 0 in 1988-1992. However,
Transparency International still ranked it last in its most
recent survey out of 102 countries for the perception of corruption.
Endemic corruption at all levels means that economic systems
in Bangladesh do not function efficiently, leaving millions
in poverty. Sixty-seven million people in Bangladesh, nearly
half the population, live below the poverty line. Thirty-two
million people are malnourished. Despite an improvement in
food availability at the national level, food insecurity continues
to be a problem at the individual and household level. Naturally
occurring arsenic in wells also contaminates drinking water
throughout the country, slowly poisoning thousands of people.
USAID Resources
USAID Program Briefing
2004
Congressional Budget Justification
2003 Annual
Report
Strategic
Plan
Selected
Reports on Bangladesh from the USAID Document Database
Other Links
Dept.
of State Background Note
World
Bank in Bangladesh
Asian
Development Bank Bangladesh Page
UNDP
in Bangladesh
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