Pakistan has maintained its position in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the second consecutive year, signaling slow but steady progress in addressing corruption. In 2025, Pakistan ranked 136th out of 182 countries, a slight improvement from its 135th rank in 2024, reflecting an overall positive trend.
Since 2021, Pakistan has climbed four positions, moving up from 140th to 136th place, demonstrating that gradual reforms and sustained efforts are beginning to yield measurable results. On the scoring front, Pakistan improved from 27 points in 2024 to 28 out of 100 in 2025, indicating incremental progress in tackling corruption. The country’s aggregate performance also increased from 216 to 219 points over the past year.
It is important to note that the CPI largely reflects perceptions rather than actual prevalence of corruption, relying on the input of foreign experts based in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden. Out of 13 total indicators, Pakistan is assessed on eight, relevant to the country’s context.
Recent surveys within Pakistan support a cautiously optimistic outlook. Transparency International Pakistan, in its annual report released in December 2025, surveyed 4,000 respondents and found that two out of three Pakistanis had never faced any malpractice in government institutions. Perceptions toward the police also improved by 6%. Similarly, a survey by FPCCI with 6,000 respondents revealed that 67% of Pakistanis never experienced malpractice, 95% never witnessed anyone illegally enriching themselves, and 76% never faced nepotism.
Despite these improvements, challenges remain. The CPI indicates a trust deficit in public institutions, reflecting ongoing public skepticism fueled by social media, rising expectations, and concerns about corruption. Experts note that institutions need to actively reach out to citizens, build trust, and raise awareness about their functions and services to bridge this gap.
In a global environment of social and economic turbulence, Pakistan’s ability to maintain and slightly improve its CPI ranking demonstrates that modest progress is still possible, even amid societal pressures and widespread public scrutiny.
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