TIP’s National Corruption Perception Survey (NCPS) 2025 paints a mixed picture for Pakistan, showing that while the economy is viewed as stabilising, public confidence in anti-corruption efforts remains low. The report, released in Islamabad, reveals that police, tendering and procurement, and the judiciary are perceived as the most corrupt sectors in the country.
At the same time, 77 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the government’s performance in curbing corruption, with dissatisfaction highest in Balochistan at 80 percent, followed by Punjab at 78 percent, and Sindh and KP at 75 percent each.
Despite the grim perceptions, 66 percent of citizens said they did not face any situation compelling them to pay a bribe in the past year. The economic outlook appears somewhat positive, as 58 percent of respondents agreed—either fully or partially—that the government managed to stabilise the economy through the IMF programme and Pakistan’s exit from the FATF grey list.
However, purchasing power concerns persist, with 57 percent reporting a decline over the last 12 months. The survey shows strong public demand for reform in political financing, as 42 percent want business funding for political parties completely banned, while another 41 percent favour strict regulation.
There is also growing dissatisfaction with government publicity practices, with 55 percent of respondents supporting a ban on the use of party names or leader photographs in official advertisements.
Additionally, 59 percent of Pakistanis consider provincial governments more corrupt than local governments, with Punjab showing the highest distrust at 70 percent. A notable finding is the public’s declining confidence in accountability institutions.
Around 78 percent of respondents believe bodies such as NAB and FIA should themselves be held accountable, citing concerns such as lack of transparency in investigations, absence of independent oversight, and political victimisation.
Nationally, police ranked as the most corrupt sector at 24 percent, followed by procurement at 16 percent and the judiciary at 14 percent. Bribery exposure varied significantly across provinces. Sindh had the highest percentage of respondents reporting bribe payments at 46 percent, followed by Punjab at 39 percent, Balochistan at 31 percent and KP at 20 percent. The leading causes of corruption identified by respondents included weak accountability mechanisms, limited transparency and access to information, and long delays in corruption case disposal.
Anti-Corruption Establishments (ACEs) were widely considered ineffective, especially in Sindh and Punjab.The health sector also emerged as an area of serious concern, with 67 percent of respondents saying corruption in healthcare directly affects their lives. Hospitals were identified as the most corruption-prone institutions, followed by doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Sindh reported the highest perception of corruption in hospitals, while Balochistan led in perceptions of corruption among doctors.
To improve healthcare governance, respondents suggested stricter action against pharmaceutical commissions, banning private practice by public-sector doctors, and strengthening regulatory systems. Public awareness about corruption reporting remains extremely low, as 70 percent of respondents were unaware of any reporting mechanism. Even among those who knew, less than half had ever filed a report.
Many said they would be more willing to report corruption if anonymity and reward mechanisms were provided. On the charity front, more than half of respondents believed that tax-exempt NGOs, hospitals, trusts and educational institutions should not charge fees, and 53 percent said such entities should disclose their donors and donation amounts.
Province-wise analysis shows Punjab leading in perceptions of police corruption, overall provincial government corruption and pharmaceutical-sector corruption. Sindh ranks worst in bribery exposure and corruption in hospitals. KP records the highest perception of judicial corruption and ranks second in procurement-related concerns. Balochistan leads in perceptions of doctor corruption and tendering malpractice while also showing the highest dissatisfaction with government anti-corruption efforts and the greatest unawareness of reporting mechanisms.
