Nepotism and Favoritism rated as rampant in ACC Survey

A nationwide survey has found that a majority of Bhutanese consider corruption a serious issue, with many believing it has increased over the past five years. The findings are contained in the National Integrity Assessment 2025, which surveyed 17,896 respondents, including public sector service users and providers, parliamentarians, and voters.

The assessment covered 16,691 public sector respondents, including 11,422 service users and 4,969 service providers. Another 1,505 participants assessed the performance of parliamentarians, comprising 39 Members of Parliament and 1,466 voters. Respondents evaluated the severity of corruption, trends over the past five years, the prevalence of different forms of corruption, and the effectiveness of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The survey found that 61 percent of external respondents, 45 percent of internal respondents, 54 percent of parliamentarians, and 64 percent of voters described corruption as “quite serious.” Internal respondents recorded the highest proportion of those who viewed corruption as “very serious” at 39 percent, followed by parliamentarians at 31 percent. This suggests that those working within public institutions perceive corruption to be more severe than the general public.

Only a small proportion of respondents considered corruption to be “not serious,” ranging from 6 percent of internal respondents to 15 percent of parliamentarians. Overall, the findings indicate widespread concern across all respondent groups.

Many respondents also believe corruption has worsened over the past five years. Internal respondents recorded the highest perception of increasing corruption, with 45 percent saying it had increased, followed by parliamentarians at 36 percent and external respondents at 33 percent. Voters were less likely to share this view, with 26 percent believing corruption had increased.

Conversely, voters were the most optimistic, with 31 percent saying corruption had decreased, followed by 29 percent of external respondents and 28 percent of parliamentarians. Only 17 percent of internal respondents believed corruption had declined.

According to the report, nearly four in ten respondents believe corruption has increased during the past five years. It warns that such perceptions could weaken public trust in institutions and undermine confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of the public sector, stressing the need to address both actual misconduct and public perceptions.

The assessment also found that corruption is perceived to be widespread across different sectors. Under the Anti-Corruption Act of Bhutan 2011, 35 corruption-related acts are grouped into 14 categories of offences. Overall, 39 percent of respondents described corruption as “somewhat rampant,” while 15 percent considered it “most rampant.” Nineteen percent believed corruption was not rampant, while 27 percent said they did not know.

Among different forms of corruption, nepotism and favouritism emerged as the greatest concerns, with 39 percent of respondents rating them as the most rampant. Misuse of office resources followed at 23 percent, while misuse of authority was cited by 20 percent.

Bribery was most commonly viewed as “somewhat rampant,” with 51 percent of respondents selecting that option, indicating that while it remains a concern, it is not perceived as the most widespread form of corruption. Possession of unexplained wealth and concealment of corruption proceeds recorded the highest “Don’t Know” responses, at 41 percent and 42 percent respectively, suggesting limited public awareness of these offences.

Other concerns identified included embezzlement, false claims, misuse of privileged information, failure to declare conflicts of interest, delays in administrative processes, policy and systemic corruption, and corruption involving sexual favours. The report recommends stronger transparency, improved accountability mechanisms, and greater public awareness to address these concerns.

The survey also assessed public perceptions of the Anti-Corruption Commission. While 47 percent of respondents recognised the ACC’s investigative role, only 31 percent identified its education function and 27 percent its preventive role.

Although 85 percent of respondents generally considered Bhutan’s anti-corruption efforts to be effective, the proportion rating the ACC as “Doing Very Well” has steadily declined since 2012. The report says this points to a gradual erosion of public confidence in the Commission’s performance.