Corruption in Sri Lanka is considered a major problem in all levels of society, from the top echelons of political power to minor staff levels.
According to Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, Sri Lanka scored 32 on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"). When ranked by score, Sri Lanka ranked #121 among the 180 countries in the Index, where the country ranked #1 is perceived to have the most honest public sector.[1] Sri Lanka's score has declined yearly since the 2020 Index, in which it scored 38. For comparison with regional scores, the highest score among the countries of the Asia Pacific region[Note 1] was 84, the average score was 44 and the lowest was 16.[2] For comparison with worldwide scores, the average score was 43, the best score was 90 (ranked 1), and the worst score was 8 (ranked 180).[3]
Corruption directly affects the welfare of citizens by decreasing public investments in health, education, infrastructure, security, housing and plantations. One of the more recent forms of corruption is through public procurement because of the lack of transparency in transactions that happen within the government.
Weak whistleblower protections undermine citizens' willingness to stand up against corruption. Despite some recent institutional reforms by the government to fight corruption, whistleblower protections need to be improved.[4] The problems are long-standing, and despite ongoing calls for reform, and many attempts to improve the situation, there is little evidence of progress.[5] Most of the Sri Lankan population consider bribery to be just a fact of life and that bribing a public official is necessary to get most jobs done.[6]
Officials and politicians who have been involved in corruption have been either given presidential pardons or have escaped to foreign countries to escape punishment. Several incidents have occurred where corrupt individuals were freed without penalty due to their political connections. Although the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption exists, its powers have been curbed by powerful politicians and business tycoons and, in most cases, the commission has not been able to act independently.[7][8]
Successive governments have often pledged to eradicate corruption but, practically speaking, this has been an impossible task due to years of mismanagement and a lack of good governance. The political parties and politicians have often pledged to end corruption during election times, in the hopes of winning over voters.
Corruption in Sri Lanka is considered an ongoing serious national issue which has dampened economic growth and lowered the quality of life for most Sri Lankans. High-income inequality/disparity and increased poverty have contributed to the prevalent corruption culture in Sri Lanka. Corruption has always been a hot topic in Sri Lanka and has been a root cause of Sri Lanka's worsening economic situation since 2019.[9]
Corruption was among many issues which provoked the 2022 nationwide protests. These were massive demonstrations against the administration of Gotabaya Rajapaksan and their impetus stemmed from the inability of the general public to fulfill their basic needs and wants due to shortages, rolling power cuts, hyperinflation, the decline in disposable income and the lack of foreign reserves to import basic essentials.[10]
- ^ "The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated". Transparency.org. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "CPI 2024 for Asia Pacific: Leaders failing to stop corruption amid an escalating climate crisis". Transparency.org. 11 February 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Corruption Perceptions Index 2024: Sri Lanka". Transparency.org. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Sri Lanka Corruption Profile". Business Anti-Corruption Portal. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Corruption in Sri Lanka: A crime without criminals – Opinion". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Global Voices - For most Sri Lankans, bribery is just a fact of life". Global Voices. 2018-09-02. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Crisis continues: Bribery Commission Director General quits | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ Nadeera, Dilshan. "RECOVERING THE PROCEEDS OF POLITICAL CORRUPTION". Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "IMF cannot ignore corruption | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- ^ "Poverty in Sri Lanka to spike this year, warns World Bank". The Indian Express. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
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