ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s performance in Transparency International’s (TI’s) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 reflects mixed external assessments, with only one international source rating the country better than last year, two rating it worse, and the remaining five recording no change.
Pakistan scored 28 out of 100 in CPI 2025 and was ranked 136th out of 182 countries, compared to 135th out of 180 in 2024. In the case of Pakistan, Transparency International used eight independent data sources to calculate the CPI score, each measuring different aspects of public-sector corruption.
The only body which rated Pakistan better than 2024 is Varieties of Democracy Project. It increased Pakistan’s ranking from 14 (2024) to 19 (2025). Its index aggregates corruption assessments in the public sector, executive, legislature, and judiciary.
The higher score indicates a relative improvement in perceived corruption across state institutions, particularly at the political and institutional level. However, this improvement was not supported by enforcement-based or rule-of-law indicators, limiting its effect on Pakistan’s overall CPI score.
Two organisations lowered Pakistan’s score in 2025.
The World Economic Forum- Executive Opinion Survey- declined Pakistan’s score from 33 to 32. This survey reflects the views of business executives on bribery in imports and exports, public contracts and licenses, tax payments, judicial decisions and diversion of public funds. The decline points to worsening business perceptions regarding informal payments and misuse of public resources.
World Justice Project- Rule of Law Index- also declined Pakistan’s score from 26 to 25. This index measures the extent to which officials in the executive, judiciary, legislature, police and military avoid using public office for private gain. The lower score indicates continued weaknesses in accountability and enforcement, particularly the perception that abuses of authority are not consistently penalised.
Five sources reported no year-on-year change, signalling institutional stagnation. These include: 1) Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index, which shows no improvement in prosecution of corrupt officials or in the government’s ability to contain corruption; 2) Economist Intelligence Unit, which shows
Persistent weaknesses in public financial controls, civil-service professionalism and judicial independence; 3) Global Insights Country Risk Ratings, shows no change in bribery and corruption risk faced by businesses; 4) PRS International Country Risk Guide, which shows continued concerns over political patronage, nepotism and opaque ties between politics and business; 5) World Bank CPIA, shows no progress in executive accountability, transparency or resistance to state capture.
In 2024, CPI rankings were calculated among 180 countries. In 2025, the number increased to 182 countries.
Originally published in The News
