“Most corrupt country in the world”: Perception & Reality About Corruption in Pakistan

Anecdotal evidence vs statistically measured facts

Anecdotal evidence is based on personal experience, stories or observations, which cannot be relied upon to prove a general trend. The fact that somebody’s cousin was forced to bribe his way out of a bogus traffic fine in Jhelum in 2006, is not indicative of a general trend in the 6+ cultures and countries that make up the federation of Pakistan, 20 years later.  When drawing generalisations we should be relying on surveys and statistics of experts that specialise in when and when not a general trend can be stated, otherwise it is an unjust accusations against millions of people.

Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer vs Perception Index

When talking about corruption in Pakistan people often quote Transparency International’s CPI (Corruption PERCEPTION Index) which usually ranks Pakistan in the 130s of 180 countries, 180 being the worst. India usually ranks between 90-100. But the hint is in the name; ”Perception’. This survey asks local people what they think about the level of corruption in Pakistan rather than actually measure it. Transparency International has another report which measures actual levels of corruption called the Global Corruption Barometer, which asks how many times in the last 12 months people have had to pay a bribe for government services. The GCB shows that there has been a monumental drop in corruption from the early 2000s to 2017, the bribery rate for Pakistan is 25% Vs India’s** 63%. 

What does that tell you? Our perception is far worse than the reality.

Bergen government index

To add to this evidence, another measure of corruption and governance called the Berggruen Governance Index, again ranked Pakistan one of the least corrupt in all of Asia. China, India**, Sri Lanka , Vietnam, Bangladesh etc all were worse: 

World Bank Enterprise Surveys

One of the best independent datasets beyond TI, and the Berggruen Governance Index is the World Bank Enterprise Surveys (latest round: 2022). These are company-level surveys that directly ask companies about their actual experience with bribe demands in different government interactions (not just perceptions). Here are the findings:

• Bribery incidence (share of firms experiencing at least one bribe request for operations): Pakistan: 15.9% India**: 27.2%
• Gift/payment expected during tax meetings: Pakistan: 11.9% India**: 31.4%
• Gift/payment expected to secure government contracts: Pakistan: 11.2% India**: 45.8%

Unwarranted negativity

If this is anything, it’s proof that, of course corruption exists in Pakistan, the statistics are not as good as they should be, but that the way Pakistanis perceive it, share it and react to it is far far worse than any other people. This may be a good sign of strong moral sentiments against corruption but often it is just sensationalism, a justification to dismiss the country, and despair. 

The prophet ﷺ said; إذا قال الرَّجُل: هَلَكَ الناس فهو أَهْلَكُهُم [صحيح مسلم] “If a man says, “the people are ruined!”, he is the most ruined among them”* [Sahih Muslim]

When you make a people believe they themselves are corrupt, they tend to lose hope in themselves & the country. That affects motivation, productivity, investment confidence, and ultimately the economic future of the country. It makes one wonder why and how corruption in the country has been made so infamous relative to far worse countries who do not suffer from that perception.

**This is not to attack or compete with India, but it is a useful comparison considering the negative stereotypes of Pakistan. Lots of Pakistanis don’t realize these facts because many of us are overly negative about the country. This doesn’t mean glossing over the corruption that does exist, nor that any poverty or illiteracy isn’t a problem, but overly negative Pakistanis do require some perspective.