Transparency International Pakistan releases NCPS 2025

ISLAMABAD—Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) on Tuesday released its comprehensive National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025, presenting a mixed picture of public sentiment on corruption, anti-graft efforts, and governance across the country.

The survey, conducted with 4,000 respondents from all four provinces, reveals that while a significant majority of citizens did not report paying a bribe in the last year, three key public sectors—the Police, Tender/Procurement, and the Judiciary—continue to be perceived as the most corruption-prone institutions.

Police Top List Despite Perception Improvement

According to the NCPS 2025 findings, the Police remains the most corrupt sector in the eyes of the public, cited by 24% of respondents nationwide. This is followed by the Tender and Procurement process at 16%, and the Judiciary at 14%.

However, the report highlighted a subtle but “notable” positive shift in public perception regarding the Police, registering a 6% improvement in perceived behaviour and service delivery compared to the previous survey.

Low Bribery Rate vs. High Dissatisfaction

The survey’s most encouraging statistic is that a majority of citizens (66%) reported they did not feel compelled to pay a bribe for public services in the past 12 months, which TIP considers a strong indicator of perceived progress in service delivery. Provincially, Sindh reported the highest rate of citizens encountering a demand for a bribe at 46%.

Despite the low rate of personal bribery, public satisfaction with the government’s overall efforts to combat corruption remains low. A significant 77% of respondents nationwide expressed “low satisfaction” or were “not satisfied” with the government’s anti-corruption drive.

The public identified the three major causes driving corruption as a lack of accountability (15%), lack of transparency and limited access to information (15%), and delays in the disposal of corruption cases (14%).

Demand for Accountability of Anti-Graft Bodies

The survey findings reflect a strong public demand for institutional reform and accountability. An overwhelming 78% of Pakistanis believe that anti-corruption institutions like the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should themselves be more accountable and transparent.

Citizens also proposed a blueprint for curbing corruption, prioritising:

• Enhancing accountability (26%)
• Limiting discretionary powers (23%)
• Strengthening Right to Information laws (20%)

The report also found a notable lack of awareness regarding reporting channels, with 70% of citizens being unaware of any official corruption reporting mechanism. Furthermore, 42% stated they would feel safe reporting corruption only if strong whistleblower protection laws were in place.

Economic Stability and Political Finance

On economic matters, approximately 58% of respondents indicated that the government has either fully or partially stabilised the economy, crediting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and the country’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List. However, 57% reported a decline in their purchasing power over the past year.

The survey also highlighted a strong public desire for clean electoral financing, with a combined 83% of respondents supporting either a complete ban or strict regulation of business funding to political parties.

In response to the report, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the survey, stating that the large number of respondents who reported not encountering corruption during his government reflects the public’s recognition of the reforms aimed at transparency and economic recovery.

For more details on the survey’s public opinion findings, watch this report: Transparency International Report on Corruption – Public Opinion – 9 Dec 2025.