A report published by Transparency International yesterday states that corruption in the country has increased by 58 percent since last year.

The report titled ‘Global Corruption Barometer – Asia 2020’, revealed the rise in corruption on the basis of a public opinion survey conducted among thousands of Nepali citizens.

The report also shows that 50 per cent of corruption cases are related to persons or organisations connected with the Office of the President or the Office of the Prime Minister.

Similarly, 43 percent of people participating in the survey said that members of the Parliament were also involved in corruption and irregularities.

It is also revealed that 40 percent of the survey respondents said that local government bodies were most prone to indulge in corruption.

Of the total respondents, 12 per cent said they had bribed public service officials for availing services from government offices while 21 per cent used personal connections to get services.

The report also reveals that election candidates influence voters by distributing cash.

As one of the largest surveys on corruption and bribery in the region, the research was conducted in 17 countries in Asia and citizens report stagnant or rising levels of corruption, undermining equitable access to public services and trust in the government

Among them, India stood first in Asia as the most corrupt country. As many as 39 percent people participating in the survey in India admitted that they bribed government authorities.

Cambodia stood second with 37 percent and Indonesia stood third with 30 percent. Lowest in the index is Maldives with 2 percent people complaining of having to bribe, Japan stood second lowest with three percent and South Korea in the third place with 10 percent.

The anti-corruption non-government organisation has revealed that age is another important factor for corruption. It said that people aged between 18 and 34 were more likely resort to bribe or use personal connections to avail services from public offices.