- Public feels poorer but credits govt with stabilising economy.
- Strong demand to scrutinise NAB, FIA and graft watchdogs.
- Healthcare corruption seen as severe, hospitals worst offenders.
ISLAMABAD: While police, tender/procurement and judicial system are perceived as the most corrupt sectors in the country, provincial governments are considered more corrupt than the local governments.
National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025, released by the Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) today shows that overwhelming 77% of those surveyed is dissatisfied with government’s efforts to curb corruption. Province-wise dissatisfaction stands at Baluchistan 80%, Punjab 78%, Sindh and KP 75% each.
Encouragingly 66% of the respondents nationwide said that they did not encounter any situation where they were compelled to pay a bribe. Economically, 57% citizens said their purchasing power had declined in the past 12 months, whereas 43% felt improvement. Yet, 58% (40% partially + 18% fully) agreed that the government stabilised the economy through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and FATF exit.
Strong public consensus emerges for political finance reform as 42% Pakistanis want business funding to political parties banned completely, another 41% want it regulated, forming 83% combined demand nationwide.
Against what has become a routine in our government advertisements, 55% favour banning the use of party names or leadership photos in government ads. The survey, carried out from 22 to 29 September 2025, reveals that provincial governments are perceived as more corrupt than local governments, with 59% respondents expressing distrust, highest in Punjab at 70%.
In a strong indictment of accountability institutions themselves, 78% Pakistanis want accountability of anti-corruption bodies like NAB and FIA, citing lack of transparency in investigations (35%), no independent oversight (33%), and political victimisation (32%) as key concerns.
Nationally, 24% respondents ranked police as the most corrupt sector, followed by tender & procurement (16%) and the judiciary (14%). Punjab reported the worst perception about police corruption at 34%, followed by Balochistan (22%), Sindh (21%), and KP (20%).
In procurement, Balochistan showed the highest concern (23%), followed by KP (18%), Sindh (14%) and Punjab (9%). Public perception of judicial corruption was highest in KP (18%) and Punjab (17%), compared to 12% in Sindh and Balochistan.
Despite grim perceptions, 66% people said they did not personally pay bribes for public services, though Sindh reported the highest bribe experience (46%), followed by Punjab (39%), Balochistan (31%) and KP (20%).
Pakistanis identified three main reasons fueling corruption: lack of accountability (15%), lack of transparency & access to information (15%), and delayed corruption case disposal (14%). Provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) are widely viewed as ineffective, with 33% calling them non-effective and 34% less effective. In Sindh (39%) and Punjab (37%), the perception of ineffectiveness was highest.
A high 67% respondents believe corruption in healthcare severely affects lives. Corruption is perceived as most rampant in hospitals (38%), followed by doctors (23%) and pharmaceuticals (21%).
Provincially, corruption in hospitals is perceived as highest in Sindh (49%), KP (46%), Balochistan (32%) and Punjab (26%). Balochistan (35%) leads in perceived corruption among doctors, while Punjab (30%) tops pharmaceutical corruption perception.
To curb corruption in health, 23% demand strict action against pharma commissions, 20% want a ban on private practice of public doctors, and 16% call for stronger regulatory capacity.
According to the TIP, 70% Pakistanis are unaware of any corruption reporting mechanism, and among the 30% who know, only 43% have ever reported an incident. Citizens say anonymity (38%) and rewards (37%) would motivate reporting.
On charity oversight, 51% believe tax-exempt NGOs, trusts, hospitals and educational institutions should not charge fees, while 53% want them to publicly disclose donors and donation amounts.
Provincially, the survey shows Sindh leads in bribery exposure, where 46% respondents reported paying a bribe to access public service, followed by Punjab (39%), Balochistan (31%) and KP (20%). Nationally, 66% respondents said they did not experience a situation compelling them to offer a bribe.
As per the data of the TIP survey, Punjab leads negatively with the highest perception of corruption in Police- 34%: Highest perception that provincial governments are more corrupt than local govts- 70%; Highest corruption perception in pharmaceuticals- 30%; 2nd highest bribe experience- 39%; High perception of Anti-Corruption Establishment ineffectiveness- 37%.
Sindh’s worst areas include: Highest experience of bribery in public services- 46%; Highest perception of corruption in hospitals- 49%; Highest dissatisfaction with govt anti-corruption efforts (joint worst with others)- 75%; 3rd worst in pharma corruption (17%) and doctor corruption (17%); High lack of awareness about reporting mechanisms- 68%.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s worst areas include the highest perception of corruption in the Judiciary- 18%; the highest perception of corruption in hospitals after Sindh- 46%; 2nd highest corruption perception in tenders/procurement- 18%; high dissatisfaction in healthcare corruption impact- 68%; high lack of awareness about corruption reporting- 73%.
Balochistan’s worst areas include: highest corruption perception in tenders & procurement- 23%; highest corruption perception in doctors- 35%; high corruption impact perception in health- 67%; 2nd highest bribery exposure (better than Sindh and Punjab but still serious)- 31%; high dissatisfaction with government anti-corruption efforts- 80%; highest unawareness of reporting channels- 76%.
Originally published in The News
