Pakistan’s Transparency International CPI score rose to 31, a two‑point gain from the previous year.
The modest uptick pushes Pakistan a few spots higher in the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, signalling a slightly more favourable view of the country’s anti‑corruption efforts among global observers. Transparency International, which compiles the CPI from expert assessments and business surveys, notes that while the ranking improvement can enhance Pakistan’s overall country‑risk profile, the raw score itself carries more analytical weight than the position on the list.
The International Monetary Fund, in its latest regional outlook, cautioned that lingering deficiencies in public‑sector governance continue to discourage foreign direct investment. Persistent issues such as opaque procurement processes, politicised law‑enforcement agencies, and irregularities in tax administration were highlighted as barriers that could blunt the positive impact of the CPI gain on capital inflows, especially in energy, infrastructure and technology projects that the government is eager to attract.
Transparency International’s own analysis stresses that the CPI’s numeric values provide a clearer picture of corruption trends than the relative ranks, which can be distorted by shifts in other countries’ scores. Experts argue that Pakistan’s rise may reflect targeted reforms—such as the recent public‑service digitisation drive and the establishment of a dedicated anti‑corruption task force—but they warn that without sustained institutional changes, the improvement could prove fleeting.
For Pakistani businesses and investors, the nuanced reading of the data matters. A higher score may lower borrowing costs and improve credit ratings, yet the IMF’s warning suggests that lenders will still scrutinise governance practices before committing funds. Meanwhile, civil‑society groups are urging the government to translate the modest statistical gain into concrete, transparent actions that address entrenched patronage networks, ensuring that the perceived reduction in corruption translates into real‑world benefits for the broader population.