ISLAMABAD: The Transparency International Pakistan (TI-P) National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025 has identified lack of accountability, lack of transparency and limited access to information and delays in the disposal of corruption cases as the leading drivers of corruption in the country.
In the last 25 years, Transparency International Pakistan has conducted National Corruption Perception Surveys nine times: NCPS 2002, NCPS 2006, NCPS 2009, NCPS 2010, NCPS 2011, NCPS 2021, NCPS 2022, NCPS 2023 and NCPS 2025.
The NCPS 2025 comprises the perception of levels and frequency of corruption perceived by Pakistani Citizens.
This year’s NCPS shows that a majority of citizens (66percent) did not pay a bribe to access public service in the past 12 months. At the institutional level, NCPS 2025 highlights a notable improvement in public perception of the Police, with a 6percent positive shift compared to 2023. This improvement is significant given the larger sample size—4000 respondents in 2025 versus 1,600 in 2023. At the same time, 77percent emphasize low satisfaction with government’s efforts to combat corruption.
According to key findings based on national data, the Police is perceived as the most corrupt Organization in Pakistan (24percent). At provincial level, the highest perception of corruption in police is in Punjab (34percent), followed by Balochistan (22percent), Sindh (21percent) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (20percent). Tender and procurement ranks second at national level (16percent), with Balochistan showing the highest concern (23percent) at provincial level, followed by KP (18percent), Sindh (14percent) and Punjab (9percent). While the Judiciary ranks third nationally in perceived corruption (14percent). Provincially, in Sindh and Balochistan, public perception of corruption in judiciary is relatively lower at 12percent each, whereas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa it is (18percent) and Punjab (17percent).
Majority of Pakistanis (66percent) nationwide reported that they did not experience a situation where they felt compelled to offer bribe to access any public service. Sindh recorded the highest proportion of respondents paying bribe to access public service (46percent), followed by Punjab (39percent), Balochistan (31percent) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (20percent).
Nationally, half of respondents (57percent) reported that their purchasing power has decreased over the past 12 months, whereas, (43percent) of the respondents feel that their purchasing power has increased.
At the national level, wide majority (40percent) partially and (18percent) fully agree that the government has successfully stabilized the economy through the IMF agreement and exiting the FATF grey list.
Nationally, three major causes of corruption in Pakistan as per the citizens are: lack of accountability (15percent), lack of transparency and limited access to information (15percent), and delays in the disposal of corruption cases (14percent).
At the national level, majority of respondents (59percent) perceive the provincial governments to be more corrupt, compared to 41percent who point to local governments. This view is shared in Punjab by (70percent), Balochistan (58percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (55percent) and Sindh (54percent).
An overwhelming 78percent of respondents nationwide believe that there should be accountability of anticorruption bodies such as NAB and FIA, reflecting a strong public desire for greater oversight and integrity within these institutions. At provincial level, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (82percent), Punjab/Sindh (79percent) and Balochistan (73percent) citizens support accountability of anti-corruption agencies. Among those advocating accountability, the top reasons cited include lack of transparency in investigations by anti-corruption bodies (35percent), absence of independent oversight of anti-corruption bodies (33percent), and misuse of anti-corruption bodies powers for political victimization (32percent).
The three key measures to curb corruption in Pakistan as per NCPS 2025 are: enhancing accountability (26percent), limiting discretionary powers (23percent) and strengthening Right to Information laws (20percent) in the country.
The NCPS 2025 reveals that 33percent of respondents consider provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) as “non-effective” in combating corruption at the provincial level, whereas, 34percent of respondents view them as less effective, indicating the need for enhancing the role of provincial anti-corruption establishments in the fight against corruption. At the provincial level, 39percent of respondents in Sindh and 37percent in Punjab consider anti-corruption establishments as ineffective in combating corruption. Whereas, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (38percent) and Balochistan (31percent) consider provincial anti-corruption establishments as “less effective”.
The NCPS 2025 reveals that majority of respondents (77percent) are not satisfied with the government’s efforts to combat corruption in the country. At provincial levels, Balochistan (80percent), Punjab (78percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (75percent) and Sindh (75percent) respondents are not satisfied with the government’s efforts to address corruption.
As per NCPS 2025, majority of respondents nationally (67percent) believe that corrupt or unethical practices in the healthcare sector have a very high impact on people’s lives. Provincially, this perception is highest among citizens in Sindh (69percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (68percent), Balochistan (67percent) and Punjab (63percent).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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