Pakistan’s rank slips from 124 to 140 on TI Corruption Perceptions Index 2021

Pakistan’s rank slips from 124 to 140 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021!

The report from Transparency International released on Tuesday shows Pakistan’s rank has fallen 16 places to 140 from 124 out of 180 countries.

“The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean,” the organization said.

The top countries on the index are Denmark (88), Finland (88), and New Zealand (88), all of which also rank in the top 10% in the world on the Democracy Index civil liberties score, the report said.

Somalia (13), Syria (13), and South Sudan (11) remain at the bottom of the CPI.

While there is no change in CPI 2021 score of India, Bangladesh.

Syria is also ranked last in civil liberties (Somalia and South Sudan are unrated), it added.

In 2020, Pakistan’s CPI was 31 and it was ranked 124 out of 180 countries.

The 2021 edition of the CPI ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives.

Opposition Reactions to the TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021

In response to the TI’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2021, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif said for the second consecutive year, Transparency International has “testified” that corruption during the incumbent government is a “thief and is corrupt”.

“The international organization’s report is an indictment [against the government] and the corrupt rulers should resign. The country cannot bear their plundering anymore,” Shahbaz said.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman responding to the report, in a series of tweets said the report was a charge sheet against the incumbent government, as it had “exposed” the prime minister’s narrative.

“The government which vowed to end corruption has fallen further below 16 countries. On the other hand, the adviser on accountability’s resignation proves that corruption has increased.”