Pakistan: CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Pakistan's CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 3.5 to 3.5).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was −0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.23 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.5 in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.5 in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.05 a year. A straight line explains 48% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Pakistan had the 21st highest value of the 72 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Pakistan in the 2025 ranking

• Lesotho — 27th of 72: 3.5
• Mauritania — 28th of 72: 3.5
• Nicaragua — 29th of 72: 3.5
• Solomon Islands — 31st of 72: 3.5
• Timor-Leste — 32nd of 72: 3.5
• Cabo Verde — 33rd of 72: 3

What this measures

The Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) measures the extent to which a country’s policy and institutional framework supports sustainable growth and poverty reduction, and consequently the effective use of development assistance. The outcome of the exercise yields both an overall score and scores for sixteen criteria that compose the CPIA. These criteria include: A. Economic Management (1. Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies; 2. Fiscal Policy; 3. Debt Policy and Management), B. Structural Policies (4. Trade; 5. Financial Sector; 6. Business Regulatory Environment), C. Policies for Social Inclusion/Equity (7. Gender equality; 8. Equity of public resource use; 9. Building human resources; 10. Social protection and labor; 11. Policies and institutions for environmental sustainability), D. Public Sector Management and Institutions (12. Property rights and rule-based governance; 13. Quality of budgetary and financial management; 14. Efficiency of revenue mobilization; 15. Quality of public administration; 16. Transparency, accountability, and corruption in the public sector). The Debt Policy and Management criterion assesses whether the country’s debt management strategy is conducive to ensure medium-term debt sustainability and minimize budgetary risks.

Limitations: The scores depend on the level of performance each year assessed against the criteria, rather than on changes in performance compared to the previous year. The ratings depend on actual policies and performance, rather than on promises or intentions. In some cases, measures such as the passage of specific legislation can represent an important action that deserves consideration. However, the way such actions should be factored into the ratings is carefully assessed, because in the end, it is the implementation of legislation that determines the extent of its impact.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a unweighted average.

All 21 values

CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 1.5 (2025)
• Djibouti — 2 (2025)
• Yemen, Rep. — 1.5 (2025)

More public sector data for Pakistan

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 706 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 11.87 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 3.34 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.91% (2025)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 1,534 (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 943,000 (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 13.83% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.25% (2020)
• Intentional homicides (per 100,000 people) — 4.33 (2023)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Pakistan's CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high)?

3.5 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2005?

It is down 22.22% from 4.5 in 2005 (1.25% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4.5 in 2005 and the lowest 3.5 in 2009.

How does Pakistan rank?

21st highest of 72 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) unusual for Pakistan?

In 2025, Pakistan's CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) did not change 0 on 2024 (from 3.5 to 3.5). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2006 to 2024), the average change was −0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.23 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IQ.CPA.DEBT.XQ, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: CPIA database, World Bank Group (WBG), uri: https://datacatalog.worldbank.org/int/search/dataset/0038988 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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