A new report from the anti-corruption organization Integrity Watch Afghanistan found that Afghans consider “corruption the third biggest problem in the country, following insecurity and unemployment.” The study also shows that one out of every seven adults experienced direct bribery last year, and the cost of the average bribe also doubled to $156…in a country where the average annual income is only $502. The most common purposes of bribes were to pay off the court system and the police.

 

Corruption in Afghanistan is so widespread that there exists a class of people known as “commission-takers” who act as intermediaries in securing and providing bribes.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

Afghan Perceptions and Experiences of Corruption: A national survey 2010 (Integrity Watch Afghanistan)

Main Findings: Amounts (Integrity Watch Afghanistan)

Executive Summary (Integrity Watch Afghanistan) (pdf)

Billions in Cash Shipped out of Afghanistan (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Afghan Police, Accused of Corruption, Say No to More U.S. Troops (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)