Transparency International Report: Police, Tendering Lead Corruption Ratings as Economy Firms Up

Islamabad: Provincial governments are thought to be more corrupt than local governments, even if the police, tender/procurement, and judicial systems are thought to be the most corrupt in the nation.

Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) recently issued the National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025, which reveals that a resounding 77% of respondents are unhappy with the government’s attempts to combat corruption. Baluchistan is at 80%, Punjab is at 78%, Sindh is at 75%, and KP is at 75%.

Fortunately, 66% of respondents nationwide reported that they had never been forced to pay a bribe.In terms of the economy, 57% of individuals reported a decrease in their purchasing power over the previous 12 months, while 43% reported an improvement. However, 58% (40% somewhat + 18% totally) believed that the government’s departure from the FATF and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program stabilized the economy.

Strong popular support for political finance reform is evident as 42% of Pakistanis want business funding to political parties to be outright prohibited, while another 41% want it to be regulated. Together, these demands represent 83% of the country.

55% of respondents are in favor of outlawing the use of party names or images of leaders in government advertisements, which has grown commonplace. According to the study, which was conducted between September 22 and 29, 2025, 59% of respondents said they mistrusted province administrations more than local ones, with Punjab having the highest percentage at 70%

78% of Pakistanis seek accountability of anti-corruption agencies like the NAB and FIA, citing political victimization (32%), lack of independent oversight (33%), and lack of openness in investigations (35%) as major issues. This is a harsh critique of accountability institutions itself.

Police were rated as the most corrupt sector nationwide by 24% of respondents, followed by the judiciary (14%) and tender and procurement (16%). At 34%, Punjab had the worst view of police corruption, followed by Balochistan (22%), Sindh (21%), and KP (20%).

Balochistan expressed the greatest concern (23%) over procurement, followed by KP (18%), Sindh (14%), and Punjab (9%). In comparison to 12% in Sindh and Balochistan, the public’s view of judicial corruption was highest in KP (18%) and Punjab (17%).

Although Sindh claimed the highest bribe experience (46%), followed by Punjab (39%), Balochistan (31%), and KP (20%), 66% of respondents said they did not personally pay bribes for public services

Lack of accountability (15%), lack of openness and information availability (15%), and delayed resolution of corruption cases (14%) were cited by Pakistanis as the three primary causes of corruption. Many people believe that Provincial Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) are ineffective; 33% say they are ineffective, and 34% say they are less effective. The perception of ineffectiveness was highest non Sindh (39%) and Punjab (37%).

According to a high 67% of respondents, corruption in healthcare has a serious negative impact on people’s lives. Hospitals are thought to have the highest rate of corruption (38%), followed by physicians (23%) and pharmaceutical companies (21%).

Sindh (49%), KP (46%), Balochistan (32%), and Punjab (26%) are the provinces with the greatest perceptions of hospital corruption. Punjab (30%) has the highest perception of pharmaceutical corruption, whereas Balochistan (35%) has the highest perception of corruption among physicians.

20% want public doctors to be prohibited from practicing privately, 16% want more regulatory authority, and 23% demand tough action against pharma commissions in order to combat corruption in the medical field.

Only 43% of the 30% of Pakistanis who are aware of any corruption reporting system have ever reported an incidence, according to the TIP, while 70% of them are oblivious of any such system. According to citizens, prizes (37%) and anonymity (38%) would encourage reporting.

Regarding charity supervision, 53% of respondents want tax-exempt NGOs, trusts, hospitals, and educational institutions to publicly reveal contributors and donation amounts, while 51% think they shouldn’t collect fees.

According to the poll, Sindh has the highest provincial exposure to bribery (46% of respondents said they have paid a bribe to obtain governmental service), followed by Punjab (39%), Balochistan (31%), and KP (20%). According to 66% of respondents nationwide, they were never forced to offer a bribe.

Punjab has the greatest perception of police corruption (34%), according to the TIP survey data. 70% of respondents believe that provincial governments are more corrupt than local ones; 30% believe that medicines are crooked; 39% believe that bribery is the second most common experience; and 37% believe that the anti-corruption establishment is ineffective.

The worst areas in Sindh are: highest perception of corruption in hospitals (49%); highest experience of bribery in public services (46%); highest dissatisfaction with government anti-corruption efforts (joint worst with others): 75%; third-worst in doctor corruption (17%) and pharmaceutical corruption (17%); and high ignorance of reporting procedures (68%).

The worst areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa include the highest perception of corruption in the judiciary (18%), the highest perception of corruption in hospitals (46%), the second-highest perception of corruption in tenders/procurement (18%), high dissatisfaction with the impact of corruption in healthcare (68%), and high ignorance of corruption reporting (73%).

The worst areas in Balochistan are as follows: the highest perception of corruption in tenders and procurement is 23%; the highest perception of corruption in doctors is 35%; the highest perception of corruption impact in health is 67%; the second-highest exposure to bribery is 31% (better than Sindh and Punjab but still serious); the highest level of dissatisfaction with government anti-corruption efforts is 80%; and the highest level of unawareness of reporting channels is 76%.