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