An annual survey released by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday showed that the police is perceived as the most corrupt government sector in Pakistan, followed by the tender and procurement sector, and then the judiciary.
According to a press release issued by TI, the National Corruption Perception Survey aims to gauge the perception of the public on important governance issues.
This year’s survey showed that 24 per cent of 4,000 people (1,000 from each province) surveyed believed police to be the most corrupt sector, with the highest level of perception of corruption in Punjab at 34pc, followed by 22pc in Balochistan, 21pc in Sindh, and 20pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Screengrab from the Transparency International 2025 National Corruption Perception Survey shows results of this year’s survey.
The department has consistently ranked the most corrupt in previous surveys conducted by TI.
Screengrab from the Transparency International 2025 National Corruption Perception Survey showing results from previous years.
However, the findings of the latest survey noted that there was, at the same time, a “notable” improvement in public perception of the police, compared to 2023.
Closely followed by police was the tender and procurement sector with 16pc of the respondents perceiving it as a corrupt sector. The highest level perception of corruption was among the respondents in Balochistan at 23pc, followed by 18pc in KP, 14pc in Sindh and 9pc in Punjab.
The judiciary was perceived to be third-most corrupt sector by 14pc of the respondents, with the highest level in KP at 18pc.
Bribery encounters
According to the press release, a majority of the citizens, around 66pc, said they did not feel compelled to bribe a public sector official in 2025.
However, the survey also showed that around 77pc of the respondents expressed “low satisfaction” with the government’s anti-corruption efforts.
The highest number of bribes in connection with access to public services was recorded in Sindh, with 46pc of the respondents feeling forced to offer a bribe. The numbers stood at 39pc in Punjab and 20pc in KP.
