India 5th largest exporter of illicit money between 2002-11: Survey

India ranked fifth largest exporter of illicit money between 2002-2011, with a total of USD 343.04 billion, and in 2011 it was placed third when USD 84.93 billion was sent abroad, according to a new report.

Crime, corruption and tax evasion drained USD 946.7 billion from the developing world in 2011, up more than 13.7 per cent from 2010   when illicit financial outflows totalled USD 832.4 billion, according to the report titled 'Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2002-2011'.

The findings which peg cumulative illicit financial outflows from developing countries at USD 5.9 trillion between 2002 and 2011   are part of a new study published on Wednesday by Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a Washington-based research and advocacy organisation.

"As the world economy sputters along in the wake of the global financial crisis, the illicit underworld is thriving siphoning more and more money from developing countries each year," said GFI president Raymond Baker.

"Anonymous shell companies, tax haven secrecy, and trade- based money laundering techniques drained nearly a trillion dollars from the world's poorest in 2011, at a time when rich and poor nations alike are struggling to spur economic growth," he said.

The USD 946.7 billion of illicit outflows lost in 2011 is a 13.7 per cent uptick from 2010   which saw developing countries hemorrhage USD 832.4 billion   and a dramatic increase from 2002, when illicit outflows totaled just USD 270.3 billion.

The study estimates the developing world lost a total of USD 5.9 trillion over the decade spanning 2002 through 2011. The report said six of the top 15 exporters of illicit capital are in Asia (China, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines), two are in Africa (Nigeria and South Africa), four in Europe (Russia, Belarus, Poland and Serbia), two are in the Western Hemisphere (Mexico and Brazil) and one is in the MENA region (Iraq).

In the last 10 years, China topped the list with USD 1.08 trillion in black money outflow, followed by Russia (USD 880.96 billion), Mexico (USD 461.86 billion) and Malaysia (USD 370.38 billion). "It's extremely troubling to note just how fast illicit flows are growing," said GFI Chief Economist Dev Kar.

"Over the past decade, illicit outflows from developing countries increased by 10.2 per cent each year in real terms  significantly outpacing GDP growth. This underscores the urgency with which policymakers should address illicit financial flows," Kar said.