Pakistan ranked 133rd on global corruption index

Pakistan has made headway in terms of graft as its ranking on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) went up by seven places -- from 140 out of 180 countries in 2022 to 133 in 2023, the Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday stated in its report.

The country’s overall score improved by two points -- against 27 out of 100 in 2022 to 29 in 2023.
The TI’s CPI ranks 180 countries and territories from a number of different sources that provide perceptions by businesspeople and experts of the level of corruption in the public sector.

The CPI is calculated using 13 different independent data sources and uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

TI Pakistan Chairman Justice (retd) Zia Perwez said it was encouraging to note that Pakistan’s score had improved.

He added that the policies aimed at better governance and effective enforcement of the law were expected to yield positive results in the future, as well as implementation of the recommendations by TI.

It is pertinent to mention that neighbouring India’s CPI score dropped from 40 in 2022 to 39 in 2023.
Reacting to the report, the PML-N shared a post on social media platform X, claiming that after four years of utter corruption under former premier Imran Khan’s rule, Pakistan managed to “curb this nuisance” in the country when Shehbaz Sharif became the prime minister.

The TI’s 2023 CPI showed that most countries had made little to no progress in tackling public sector corruption.

The CPI global average remains unchanged at 43 for the 12th year in a row, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.

According to the Rule of Law Index, the world is experiencing a decline in the functioning of justice systems, the report read.

PHOTO: TRANSPARENCY INTERATIONAL

Countries with the lowest scores in this index are also scoring very low on the CPI, highlighting a clear connection between access to justice and corruption, it added.

It continued that both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders undermining justice contributed to increasing impunity for graft and, in some cases, even encouraged it by removing consequences for those involved in corrupt practices.

“Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check,” TI Chair Francois Valerian said.

“When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people who suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption,” he continued.

PHOTO: TRANSPARENCY INTERATIONAL

Read: PHC seeks Transparency’s corruption report

Denmark tops the index for the sixth consecutive year with a score of 90. Finland and New Zealand are following closely with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. The report stated that because of well-functioning justice systems, these countries were also among the top scorers in the Rule of Law Index.

Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13), South Sudan (13), and Yemen (16) take the bottom spots in the index. They are all affected by protracted crises, mostly armed conflicts.

PHOTO: TRANSPARENCY INTERATIONAL

The report read that 23 countries — among them some high-ranking democracies including Iceland (72), the Netherlands (79), Sweden (82) and the United Kingdom (71), as well as some authoritarian states like Iran (24), Russia (26), Tajikistan (20), and Venezuela (13) were at their historic lows on the 2023 CPI index.

Read also: SBP all set to replace currency notes in circulation to curb corruption

As per the report, 12 countries have significantly declined on their CPI scores since 2018. The list includes low and middle-income countries including El Salvador (31), Honduras (23), Liberia (25), Myanmar (20), Nicaragua (17), Sri Lanka (34) and Venezuela (13), as well as upper-middle and high income economies like Argentina (37), Austria (71), Poland (54), Turkey (34), and the United Kingdom (71).

PHOTO: TRANSPARENCY INTERATIONAL

Eight countries improved on the CPI during that same period including Ireland (77), South Korea (63), Armenia (46), Vietnam (42), the Maldives (40), Moldova (39), Angola (33), and Uzbekistan (31).

PHOTO: TRANSPARENCY INTERATIONAL