The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries (the same number as the 2007 CPI) on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to ten (highly clean).Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden share the highest score at 9.3, followed immediately by Singapore at 9.2. Bringing up the rear is Somalia at 1.0, slightly trailing Iraq and Myanmar at 1.3 and Haiti at 1.4.

Transparency International's launched its corruption perception index 2008 (CPI), which indicates that Pakistan is still bogged down in the vicious circle of corruption, being the 45th most corrupt country of the world.

In 1998 Pakistan and India in CPI ranked as 71 and 66 respectively out of 85 countries surveyed, with a score of 2.7 and 2.9, and in 2008 Pakistan and India are ranked 134 and 85 out of the 180 countries, with a score of 2.5 and 3.6.

The difference in corruption ranking between the two countries has increased from 5 in 1998 to 49 in 2008.The present economic status of the two countries confirms that the economic growth is inversely proportional to corruption.

In 1998 Pakistan and India FE reserves were US $1.60 billion and US $26 billion, and in 2008 they are US $9.10 billion and US $237 billion.In the last ten years the gap in India and Pakistan FE reserves increased, from 16 times in 1998 to 26 times in 2008.

In 1998 Pakistan trade deficit was US $3.20 billion, whereas in only the first two months of July-August 2008, it is US $3.52 billion.The CPI 2007 is based on the data primarily from the past two years, relating to perceptions that may have been formed even farther in the past. Pakistan CPI is based on the surveys conducted by the Asian Development Bank, IBRD, World Economic Forum, Economic Intelligence Unit, Merchant International Group and three other organisations.

RESULTS: The Transparency International CPI measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys.

The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries (the same number as the 2007 CPI) on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to ten (highly clean).Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden share the highest score at 9.3, followed immediately by Singapore at 9.2. Bringing up the rear is Somalia at 1.0, slightly trailing Iraq and Myanmar at 1.3 and Haiti at 1.4.Score changes in the index are not rapid, however, they are statistically significant changes as evident in certain countries from high to low end of the CPI.

Looking at source surveys, included in both the 2007 and 2008 indexes, significant declines can be seen in the scores of Bulgaria, Burundi, Maldives, Norway and the United Kingdom.Similarly, statistically significant improvements over the last year can be identified in Albania, Cyprus, Georgia, Mauritius, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, South Korea, Tonga and Turkey.

The weakening performance of some wealthy exporting countries, with notable European decliners in the 2008 CPI, casts a further critical light on government commitment to rein in the questionable methods of their companies in acquiring and managing overseas business, in addition to domestic concerns about issues such as the role of money in politics.The continuing emergence of foreign bribery scandals indicates a broader failure by the world's wealthiest countries to live up to the promise of mutual accountability in the fight against corruption.
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Year Score Rank Position from
1995 2.25 39/41 [03]
1996 1.0 53/54 [02]
1997 2.53 48/52 [04]
1998 2.7 72/85 [13]
1999 2.2 88/99 [11]
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CPI 2000 No Survey
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2001 2.3 79/91 [12]
2002 2.6 77/102 [25]
2003 2.5 96/133 [37]
2004 2.1 134/145 [11]
2005 2.1 146/159 [13]
2006 2.2 1 47/163 [161
2007 2.4 138/180 [42]
2008 2.5 134/180 [45]
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