ISLAMABAD: In Transparency International’s Global Corruption Perceptions Index 2025, Pakistan’s score of 28 is far below the average score of 42 among the 182 countries assessed.
It is also lower than in 2018 when Pakistan recorded its best-ever score of 33.
Nowhere in TI’s 2025 report is there any appreciation for Pakistan for undertaking commendable efforts in the form of governance and institutional reforms. This view was expressed by the Chairman of TI’s Pakistan Chapter, Justice (R) Zia Perwez, in a press release issued on Tuesday.
When contacted, Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) confirmed that these remarks are not included in TI’s 2025 report.
The TI 2025 report shows Pakistan scoring 28, compared to 27 in 2024, while its ranking in 2025 is 136th, compared to 135th in 2024. Pakistan improved its score from 27 to 28, but its ranking declined from 135th in 2024 to 136th in 2025. However, the number of countries assessed increased from 180 in 2024 to 182 in 2025.
The Pakistan chapter of TI interpreted the slide in ranking as an improvement. When asked, TIP’s Executive Director, Kashif Ali, told The News that TIP counts Pakistan’s position from the bottom, which shows Pakistan as the 46th most corrupt country in 2025, compared to the 45th most corrupt country in 2024. TIP, however, avoided mentioning in its press release the negative reference to Pakistan in TI’s global report, which states: “Since 2012, in non-conflict zones worldwide, 829 journalists have been murdered. ….. Over 90 percent of these killings happened in countries with a CPI score lower than 50, including Brazil, India, Mexico, Pakistan and Iraq, which are particularly dangerous for journalists reporting on corruption.”
The report also states: “While 31 countries have significantly reduced their corruption levels since 2012, the rest are failing to tackle the problem -- they have stayed stagnant or worsened 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. People are paying the price, as corruption leads to underfunded hospitals, unbuilt flood defences, and blights the hopes and dreams of young people.”
Pakistan scored 28 in the 2025 report, which is far below the average score of the 182 countries assessed.
According to Transparency International’s records, Pakistan’s best performance in the Corruption Perceptions Index was in 2018, when it was ranked 64th from the bottom and stood at 117th out of 180 countries assessed. In the 2018 report, Pakistan’s CPI score was 33.
In 2019, Pakistan’s CPI score declined to 32 from 33, and it ranked 120th out of 180 countries (61st from the bottom). In 2020, its CPI score fell to 31 from 32, and it ranked 124th out of 180 countries (57th from the bottom). In 2021, the score dropped further to 28 from 31, and Pakistan ranked 140th out of 180 countries (41st from the bottom). In 2022, the score decreased to 27 from 28, and Pakistan again ranked 140th out of 180 countries (27th from the bottom).
The 2023 report showed an improvement, with Pakistan’s score rising to 29. However, in 2024, the score fell to 27. In the 2025 report, Pakistan’s score is 28, one point higher than in 2024, but still five points below its 2018 score of 33.
Corrigendum: In this correspondent’s story -- “Pakistan’s corruption perception report by TI is worrisome” -- published in The News and Jang on February 11 (Wednesday), 27 was mistakenly written as Pakistan’s score in Transparency International’s 2025 corruption perception index, whereas it was 28. The error is regretted.
