Pakistan shows marginal improvement in global Corruption Perceptions Index

Pakistan’s standing in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025 has shown a slight improvement, with the country’s score rising to 28 out of 100.

According to the report released on Tuesday by the Transparency International, Pakistan now ranks 136th out of 182 countries, a modest step up from its 2024 position of 135th out of 180 surveyed nations.

The CPI ranks 182 countries and territories worldwide by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. It assesses perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Commenting on the 2025 results, Transparency International Pakistan Chair Justice (retd) Zia Perwez acknowledged the country’s progress while stressing the need for consistency.

“While Pakistan is undertaking commendable efforts through governance and institutional reforms, it is imperative that the recommendations of the IMF Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment are implemented effectively,” he stated, adding that such measures are vital to sustaining Pakistan’s upward momentum in the coming years.

READ MORE: Corruption a persistent challenge in Pakistan, says IMF

The Transparency International said the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that corruption remains a serious threat in every part of the world, although there are limited signs of progress.

“Leaders must act to tackle abuses of power and the wider factors driving this decline, such as the roll-back of democratic checks and balances, and attacks on independent civil society,” it stressed.

Anti-government protests in many parts of the world show that people are fed up with unaccountable leadership and are demanding reform.

While 31 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, the rest are failing to tackle the problem – they have stayed stagnant or got worse during the same period. The global average has fallen to a new low of 42, while more than two-thirds of countries score below 50. And people are paying the price, as corruption leads to under-funded hospitals, unbuilt flood defences and blights the hopes and dreams of young people.