Pakistan’s position on the 2024 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) has declined by two places, dropping from 133 in 2023 to 135 out of 180 countries, the Transparency International said in its report on Tuesday.

The CPI assesses the perceived levels of public sector corruption across 180 nations and territories, using a scale where zero indicates high corruption and 100 signifies a very clean public sector.

The annual report is published by Transparency International Berlin. Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has clarified that it does not participate in data collection or score calculation for the country.

Pakistan’s score has decreased from 29 in the 2023 CPI to 27 in the 2024 edition.

Justice (retd) Zia Perwez, the chair of TIP, noted that the corruption scores for nearly all countries in the region have fallen, with the exception of Oman, China, Turkiye, and Mongolia. The decline indicates that Pakistan is one of the few nations resisting the negative trend prevalent across the region.

The 2024 CPI report highlighted that global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to combat it proving “ineffective.” The report reveals that over two-thirds of countries scored below 50 out of 100, underscoring widespread corruption issues worldwide.

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The global average score on the CPI remained steady at 43, underscoring the urgent need for effective measures to combat corruption, which poses a significant barrier to successful climate initiatives.

In the face of unprecedented global warming and extreme weather events, coupled with a deterioration of democratic values and a decline in global climate leadership, the world is struggling in its battle against the climate crisis. Corruption complicates these efforts, and it is essential for the international community to recognise the connection between corruption and environmental challenges.

Francois Valerian, chair of Transparency International, emphasized that “corruption is an evolving global threat that not only undermines development but is also a major contributor to the decline of democracy, instability, and human rights violations.”