Pakistan moves up one spot in 2025 global corruption index, score reaches 28

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) improved marginally in 2025, with the country moving up one place to 136th among 182 nations, the entity said on Tuesday.

The country’s overall score increased to 28, up from 27 in 2024, reflecting gradual improvements linked to governance reforms over the past four years.

Last year, 180 countries were surveyed, while the 2025 report expanded the coverage to 182 nations.

“The trend of improvement is evident, but sustained efforts are needed to implement recommendations from the IMF Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment,” said Justice (retd) Zia Perwez, chair of Transparency International Pakistan.

Globally, corruption is worsening even in established democracies, with the CPI’s average score dropping to 42, its lowest level in over a decade.

Denmark topped the index for the eighth consecutive year with a score of 89, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84). Countries with the lowest scores include South Sudan, Somalia and Venezuela.

Transparency International noted that more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50, and restrictions on civic freedoms in many nations were contributing to declining anti-corruption performance worldwide.

The CPI measures perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).