Transparency International ranked Pakistan at 140 out of 180 countries in the newly released Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual index that ranks countries based on perceptions of public sector corruption. On a scale of 0-100, with zero being 'Highly Corrupt' and 100 being 'Very Clean', the South Asian country's corruption score stands at 28 — one point lower than last year.

The recent Index indicates that the perception of corruption in the public sector has worsened immensely. In a statement, Transparency International said Corruption Perceptions Index shows that most countries are failing to stop corruption. More than 150 nations have made no significant progress against corruption or have declined in last decade.

It said the global average remains unchanged for over a decade, and more than two-thirds of nations score below 50, while 26 countries have fallen to their lowest scores yet. Meanwhile, Denmark (90), Finland (87), and New Zealand (87) are listed as the top countries on the index, and Somalia (12), Syria (13), and South Sudan (13) ranked at the lowest of the CPI. The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, drawing on 13 expert assessments and surveys of business executives. Pakistan ranks 180 out of 190 countries in terms of fiscal revenue to GDP ratio.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP