The World Justice Project (WJP) developed the WJP Rule of Law Index to serve as a quantitative tool for measuring the rule of law in practice. The Index’s methodology and comprehensive definition of the rule of law are the products of intensive consultation and vetting with academics, practitioners, and community leaders from more than 100 countries and jurisdictions and 17 professional disciplines.
Last updated by source: 2023-10-25
| Dataset type: | Time-Series |
| Dataset level: | Country |
(Project, 2023)
Absence of Corruption, Factor 2 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the absence of corruption in government. The factor considers three forms of corruption: bribery, improper influence by public or private interests, and misappropriation of public funds or other resources. These three forms of corruption are examined with respect to government officers in the executive branch, the judiciary, the military, police, and the legislature.
More about this variableAlternative dispute resolution mechanisms are accessible, impartial, and effective. The variable measures if the ADRs are affordable, efficient, enforceable, and free of corruption.
More about this variableCivil Justice, Factor 7 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures whether ordinary people can resolve their grievances peacefully and effectively through the civil justice system. It measures whether civil justice systems are accessible and affordable as well as free of discrimination, corruption, and improper influence by public officials. It examines whether court proceedings are conducted without unreasonable delays and whether decisions are enforced effectively. It also measures the accessibility, impartiality, and effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
More about this variableCivil justice is free of corruption measures whether the civil justice system is free of bribery and improper influence by private interests.
More about this variableCivil justice is not subject to unreasonable delays measures whether civil justice proceedings are conducted and judgments are produced in a timely manner without unreasonable delay.
More about this variableCivil justice is free of discrimination measures whether the civil justice system discriminates in practice based on socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
More about this variableCivil justice is effectively enforced measures the effectiveness and timeliness of the enforcement of civil justice decisions and judgments in practice.
More about this variableCivil justice is free of improper government influence measures whether the civil justice system is free of improper government or political influence.
More about this variableCriminal Justice, Factor 8 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, evaluates a country’s criminal justice system. An effective criminal justice system is a key aspect of the rule of law, as it constitutes the conventional mechanism to redress grievances and bring action against individuals for offenses against society. An assessment of the delivery of criminal justice should take into consideration the entire system, including the police, lawyers, prosecutors, judges, and prison officers.
More about this variableThis variable measures whether the police, prosecutors, and judges are free of bribery and improper influence from criminal organizations.
More about this variableThis variable measures whether the police and criminal judges are impartial and whether they discriminate in practice based on socio-economic status, gender, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
More about this variableCriminal system is free of improper government influence measures whether the criminal justice system is independent from government or political influence.
More about this variableGovernment officials in the executive branch do not use public office for private gain variable measures the prevalence of bribery, informal payments, and other inducements in the delivery of public services and the enforcement of regulations. It also measures whether government procurement and public works contracts are awarded through an open and competitive bidding process, and whether government officials at various levels of the executive branch refrain from embezzling public funds.
More about this variableFundamental Rights, Factor 4 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, recognizes that a system of positive law that fails to respect core human rights established under international law is at best “rule by law,” and does not deserve to be called a rule of law system. Since there are many other indices that address human rights, and because it would be impossible for the Index to assess adherence to the full range of rights, this factor focuses on a relatively modest menu of rights that are firmly established under the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and are most closely related to rule of law concerns.
More about this variableThe variable measures whether government officials in the executive, legislature, judiciary, and police are investigated, prosecuted, and punished for official misconduct and other violations.
More about this variableConstraints on Government Powers, Factor 1 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the extent to which those who govern are bound by law. It comprises the means, both constitutional and institutional, by which the powers of the government and its officials and agents are limited and held accountable under the law. It also includes non-governmental checks on the government’s power, such as a free and independent press.
More about this variableGovernment powers limited by auditing and review measures whether comptrollers or auditors, as well as national human rights ombudsman agencies, have sufficient independence and the ability to exercise effective checks on and oversight of the government.
More about this variableGovernment powers limited by the judiciary measures whether the judiciary has the independence and the ability in practice to exercise effective checks on the government.
More about this variableGovernment powers limited by the legislature measure whether legislative bodies have the ability in practice to exercise effective checks on and oversight of the government.
More about this variableThis variable measures whether an independent media, civil society organizations, political parties, and individuals are free to report and comment on government policies without fear of retaliation.
More about this variableGovernment officials in the judicial branch do not use public office for private gain measures whether judges and judicial officials refrain from soliciting and accepting bribes to perform duties or expedite processes, and whether the judiciary and judicial rulings are free of improper influence by the government, private interests, and criminal organizations.
More about this variableLegislative branch do not use public office for private gain measures whether members of the legislature refrain from soliciting or accepting bribes or other inducements in exchange for political favors or favorable votes on legislation.
More about this variableOpen Government, Factor 3 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the openness of government defined by the extent to which a government shares information, empowers people with tools to hold the government accountable, and fosters citizen participation in public policy deliberations. This factor measures whether basic laws and information on legal rights are publicized and evaluates the quality of information published by the government.
More about this variableOrder and Security, Factor 5 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures how well a society ensures the security of persons and property. Security is one of the defining aspects of any rule of law society and is a fundamental function of the state. It is also a precondition for the realization of the rights and freedoms that the rule of law seeks to advance.
More about this variableThe WJP Rule of Law Index calculates scores and rankings for eight factors and 44 sub-factors. The Index team constructed the final scores using a five-step process. They codified the questionnaire items as numeric values; produced raw country scores by aggregating the responses from several individuals(experts and/or the general public); normalized the raw scores; aggregated the normalized scores into sub-factors and factors using simple averages; and produced the normalized scores, which are rounded to two decimal points, and the final rankings.
More about this variableGovernment officials in the police and the military do not use public office for private gain measures whether police officers and criminal investigators refrain from soliciting and accepting bribes to perform basic police services or to investigate crimes, and whether government officials in the police and the military are free of improper influence by private interests or criminal organizations.
More about this variablePeople can access and afford civil justice measures the accessibility and affordability of civil courts, including whether people are aware of available remedies; can access and afford legal advice and representation; and can access the court system without incurring unreasonable fees, encountering unreasonable procedural hurdles, or experiencing physical or linguistic barriers.
More about this variableRegulatory Enforcement, Factor 6 of the WJP Rule of Law Index, measures the extent to which regulations are fairly and effectively implemented and enforced. Regulations, both legal and administrative, structure behaviors within and outside of the government. This factor does not assess which activities a government chooses to regulate, nor does it consider how much regulation of a particular activity is appropriate. Rather, it examines how regulations are implemented and enforced.
More about this variableThe variable measures whether government officials are elected or appointed in accordance with the rules and procedures set forth in the constitution. Where elections take place, it also measures the integrity of the electoral process, including access to the ballot, the absence of intimidation, and public scrutiny of election results.
More about this variable