ISLAMABAD: Transparency International on Tuesday released its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2025, showing a slight improvement in Pakistan’s position but signalling persistent challenges in public sector integrity.
Pakistan was ranked 136th out of 182 countries in the latest index, improving by one spot compared with its previous position. The country’s overall CPI score rose to 28 out of 100, up one point from 2024, according to the Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog.
The CPI measures perceived levels of corruption in the public sector on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
Justice (retd) Zia Perwez, Chairperson of Transparency International Pakistan, said that while the country is making commendable efforts in governance and institutional reforms, it is critical to implement key recommendations from the IMF Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment to sustain Pakistan’s upward momentum in future rankings.
The global index revealed that corruption remains a worsening problem worldwide, with even long-established democracies recording declines. A majority of countries scored below 50, indicating widespread concerns about corruption in the public sector.
For the eighth consecutive year, Denmark topped the CPI with the highest perceived cleanliness score, followed by Finland and Singapore. At the bottom of the list were countries including Somalia and South Sudan, which scored in the single digits.
Transparency International also highlighted a troubling trend of shrinking civic space in countries with significant declines in CPI scores, noting that restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly often coincide with rising corruption.