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World Bank Group · Rule of Law
Rule of law by country
How far do people trust and follow the rules of their society?
Finland placed first of the 211 countries compared in 2025, at 2.01153, and Venezuela last, at -2.19904. In the middle country the figure was -0.10240. Among the 197 countries measured in every edition since 1996, the middle one moved from -0.08517 to -0.13584.
Rule of law · 2025
Key statistic · Democracy & Civil Liberties
Highest of 211Finland
2.01153012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 211 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Joonas Lyytinen · CC BY-SA 2.5, greyscale
2Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- 211
Venezuela-2.19904 - 210
Somalia-2.16700 - 209
South Sudan-2.02544
Positions out of 211. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
02Every measured country
Rule of law on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- -2.19904–-1.02326
- -1.02178–-0.37120
- -0.34889–0.28114
- 0.28540–0.93950
- 0.94092–2.01153
- No reading in 2025
- Europe
1.00817
the middle country, of 44 measured · 49 members
Finland2.01153
Russia-1.27249Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Oceania
0.91175
the middle country, of 20 measured · 21 members
New Zealand1.65603
Papua New Guinea-0.57264Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Americas
-0.06626
the middle country, of 42 measured · 48 members
Greenland1.58681Venezuela-2.19904Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
-0.25459
the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members
Japan1.54233
Yemen-1.94298Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
-0.84606
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Mauritius0.67601Somalia-2.16700Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
1.65050
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Switzerland1.73773
France0.96986Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
1.57995
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Finland2.01153
Latvia1.07274Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Polynesia
1.06101
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Tuvalu1.35337
Niue-0.05712Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Micronesia
0.96183
the middle country, of 6 measured · 7 members
Palau1.17099
Nauru0.27126Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Eastern Asia
0.89813
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Japan1.54233
North Korea-1.48629Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Caribbean
0.56844
the middle country, of 18 measured · 24 members
Aruba1.22563
Haiti-1.61719Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
0.42064
the middle country, of 15 measured · 17 members
Andorra1.57676
Bosnia and Herzegovina-0.33966Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Melanesia
0.25718
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Vanuatu0.52867Papua New Guinea-0.57264Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Western Asia
0.13756
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Cyprus0.73872Yemen-1.94298Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Eastern Europe
0.08492
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia1.17014Russia-1.27249Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Africa
0.04077
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Namibia0.37634
Eswatini-0.77938Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- South-eastern Asia
-0.25459
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Singapore1.48922
Myanmar-1.76843Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Southern Asia
-0.30630
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Bhutan0.72178
Afghanistan-1.85099Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South America
-0.55688
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Uruguay0.93950Venezuela-2.19904Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Northern Africa
-0.67039
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco-0.34096
Sudan-1.85702Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Africa
-0.82557
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Cabo Verde0.45477
Guinea-Bissau-1.26842Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Central America
-0.86889
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica0.60280
Nicaragua-1.58621Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Central Asia
-0.93137
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan-0.40871
Turkmenistan-1.41731Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Eastern Africa
-0.94170
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Mauritius0.67601Somalia-2.16700Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
-1.24677
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe-0.45360
Central African Republic-1.69712Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand1.65603
Australia1.45890Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
Greenland1.58681
United States0.79140Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
211 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above -0.10240; a quarter are above 0.70003, and a quarter below -0.84606. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 211 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. The Bank’s 0–100 governance score is the estimate rescaled onto a fixed scale anchored by benchmark countries, where 100 is the best absolute performance — it is not a percentile and not a league position, so 90 means neither “above 90% of countries” nor “90th”.
Showing 25 of 211 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051996–2025 · 27 editions
Over time
Each point is one annual estimate. The scale is a z-score, so the world average is pinned at 0 every year and a country can improve in absolute terms while sliding down this line.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 197 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 211 | -0.10240 | -0.84606 – 0.70003 | -0.13584 |
| 2024 | 211 | -0.10722 | -0.85480 – 0.71962 | -0.18409 |
| 2023 | 211 | -0.10312 | -0.81624 – 0.75948 | -0.18421 |
| 2022 | 211 | -0.12950 | -0.79908 – 0.79823 | -0.16363 |
| 2021 | 211 | -0.13640 | -0.76628 – 0.80707 | -0.16409 |
| 2020 | 211 | -0.14164 | -0.75629 – 0.80790 | -0.17315 |
| 2019 | 211 | -0.13092 | -0.74389 – 0.87714 | -0.19174 |
| 2018 | 210 | -0.13830 | -0.75095 – 0.76546 | -0.17177 |
| 2017 | 207 | -0.15682 | -0.78081 – 0.74061 | -0.20485 |
| 2016 | 207 | -0.15385 | -0.75924 – 0.79811 | -0.17690 |
| 2015 | 209 | -0.18731 | -0.77111 – 0.80197 | -0.20943 |
| 2014 | 209 | -0.20216 | -0.76570 – 0.69390 | -0.20279 |
| 2013 | 209 | -0.21236 | -0.81169 – 0.83099 | -0.23218 |
| 2012 | 209 | -0.20061 | -0.79936 – 0.83978 | -0.20708 |
| 2011 | 209 | -0.25960 | -0.76838 – 0.85240 | -0.26665 |
| 2010 | 208 | -0.21447 | -0.80264 – 0.84214 | -0.24322 |
| 2009 | 208 | -0.15524 | -0.75786 – 0.81496 | -0.20042 |
| 2008 | 206 | -0.16368 | -0.74506 – 0.80389 | -0.19190 |
| 2007 | 206 | -0.15051 | -0.72180 – 0.89716 | -0.17803 |
| 2006 | 206 | -0.11143 | -0.76629 – 0.87850 | -0.21737 |
| 2005 | 206 | -0.08498 | -0.77839 – 0.87332 | -0.18916 |
| 2004 | 205 | -0.14158 | -0.75412 – 0.70272 | -0.17278 |
| 2003 | 200 | -0.15770 | -0.85136 – 0.84220 | -0.18287 |
| 2002 | 200 | -0.13265 | -0.86807 – 0.84753 | -0.13716 |
| 2000 | 200 | -0.17518 | -0.93176 – 0.80432 | -0.17050 |
| 1998 | 198 | -0.12812 | -0.86614 – 0.79186 | -0.12662 |
| 1996 | 197 | -0.08517 | -0.82893 – 0.82547 | -0.08517 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Cook Islands0.76533 → 1.24516 · 52nd → 28th+0.47983
San Marino1.15483 → 1.44510 · 30th → 21st+0.29027
Monaco1.35837 → 1.64863 · 21st → 11th+0.29027
American Samoa1.10380 → 1.34817 · 33rd → 25th+0.24437- Andorra1.41815 → 1.57676 · 20th → 15th+0.15860
Declined most
before → after- Niue1.30081 → -0.05712 · 23rd → 105th−1.35794
Cuba-0.58057 → -1.08053 · 145th → 175th−0.49996
French Polynesia1.02985 → 0.64908 · 37th → 59th−0.38077- United States0.99718 → 0.79140 · 40th → 49th−0.20578
Peru-0.51745 → -0.65853 · 137th → 150th−0.14108
211 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Rule of law in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
2.09736
Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)
Lowest reading on record
-2.52411
Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)
Biggest improvement between editions
2 countries moved by exactly the same amount — no holder is named
Shared
Biggest decline between editions
−1.35794
1.30081 → -0.05712
Most improved since first measured
+1.62159
-1.52351 → 0.09808
At the top most often
17 of 27
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About rule of law
Rule of Law is the World Bank’s estimate of how far people have confidence in and abide by the rules of society — contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts, and the likelihood of crime and violence. It runs from −2.5 to 2.5 across 200 countries since 1996.
What the number is: Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5).
What it does not measure
It is an estimate built from surveys and expert ratings, with a margin of error, and it does not rate individual court cases or how fair the laws themselves are.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
A key statistic for Democracy & Civil Liberties
“Whether the law binds those who write it — contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts. Where the other two keys measure who holds power and what people may do, this measures whether power itself is bound by rules.”
- Edition used
- 2025 (data 2025)
- Countries
- 211
- Licence
- CC BY 4.0
Moves with
Where rule of law is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Corruption Perceptions IndexKeyTransparency International · 182 countries in commonρ 0.95
- Control of CorruptionWorld Bank Group · 211 countries in commonρ 0.95
- Government EffectivenessKeyWorld Bank Group · 209 countries in commonρ 0.90
Moves against
Where rule of law is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 175 countries in commonρ −0.87
- INFORM Risk IndexKeyEuropean Commission Joint Research Centre, with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee · 191 countries in commonρ −0.83
- Learning PovertyWorld Bank Group and UNESCO Institute for Statistics · 108 countries in commonρ −0.79
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 190 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Analysis
Charts and analysis on rule of law
11Keep reading
Explore further
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- All statistics
12Questions
Rule of law: questions and answers
Which country has the highest rule of law?
Finland, at 2.01153, among the 211 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest rule of law?
Venezuela, at -2.19904, among the 211 countries compared in 2025.
How many countries does the Rule of Law cover?
211 in 2025. The number measured varies from 197 to 211 between editions.
What is the world average rule of law?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 211 compared in 2025, the figure was -0.10240.
Is this World Bank Group’s own ranking?
No. World Bank Group publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Rule of Law published?
This site holds 27 editions, describing 1996 to 2025.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From World Bank Group, under CC BY 4.0. One of the six Worldwide Governance Indicators, under the Bank’s own licence. This is NOT the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, which measures a similar subject and is not on this site: that publisher grants no commercial reuse. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
13Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Rule of Law — World Bank Group
One of the six Worldwide Governance Indicators, under the Bank’s own licence. This is NOT the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, which measures a similar subject and is not on this site: that publisher grants no commercial reuse.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: World Bank. Worldwide Governance Indicators. Washington, DC: World Bank Group.
Licence: CC BY 4.0, checked 2026-09-07.
How this page reads the numbers
- World Bank Group ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Finland — Joonas Lyytinen, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Rule of law by country: Rule of Law, data from World Bank Group. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/rule-of-law