RULE OF LAW INDEX

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About

According to the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2022, for the fifth year in a row, the rule of law has declined globally.
- The Index data in 140 countries shows that the rule of law fell in 61% of countries this year.
According to the report:
- Authoritarian trends continue to erode the rule of law, checks on executive power are weakening and respect for human rights is falling.
- Fundamental Rights declined in two-thirds of countries this year.
- Civil Justice fell in 61% of countries, largely due to continued delays, weak enforcement, and discrimination in the justice system.
- Respect for fundamental human rights and freedoms are down in 75% of countries since 2015.
- Restrictions on Government Powers; including oversight by the judiciary, legislature, and media–have fallen in two-thirds of the countries.
- Since 2015, the Index sub-factors that have declined the most widely are freedom of opinion and expression (down in 81% of countries) and freedom of assembly and association (down in 85%).

World Justice Project

The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index is the world’s leading source of original, independent rule of law data.
- The World Justice Project defines the rule of law as a durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment that delivers: accountability, just laws, open government, and accessible justice.
It covers 140 countries; this year’s Index relies on surveys of more than 150,000 households and 3,600 legal practitioners and experts to determine how the rule of law is experienced around the world.
It measures 44 rule of law indicators under 8 factors:
- Constraints on Government Powers
- Absence of Corruption
- Open Government
- Fundamental Rights
- Order and Security
- Regulatory Enforcement
- Civil Justice
- Criminal Justice
These scores are then averaged to assign an overall rule of law score to each country.
Rule of Law index published annually since 2009, the Index is used by governments, multilateral organizations, donors, the private sector, and civil society organizations around the world to assess and address gaps in the rule of law.
The top-ranked country in the WJP Rule of Law Index 2022 is Denmark, followed by Norway and Finland.
India, with a score of 0.50 on the 'rule of law' index, has ranked 77 out of 140 countries.
The biggest decline in rule of law this year is in Sudan, Myanmar, Haiti, and Afghanistan.