The World Justice Project (WJP) published the Rule of Law Index 2025 (October 2025). The Index is the latest in an annual series measuring people’s perceptions and experiences of the rule of law globally. The Index draws on the experiences of over 215,000 people and over 4,100 survey responses from legal practitioners and scholars across 143 countries and jurisdictions. The conceptual framework of the WJP Rule of Law Index is comprised of eight factors: 1) constraints on government powers; 2) absence of corruption; 3) open government; 4) fundamental rights; 5) order and security; 6) regulatory enforcement; 7) civil justice; and 8) criminal justice.
Human Level’s Take:
- The global rule of law recession is accelerating. For the eighth year in a row, the rule of law declined in far more countries than it improved — 68% versus 32%. Deterioration is happening faster than recovery: in the past year, countries that improved gained an average of just 0.52%, while those that declined fell by –1.07%, more than double the pace of last year.
- These declines are widespread across four factors: 1) constraints on government powers (weaker legislative and judicial oversight, alongside less independent auditing and review); 2) open government (shrinking civic participation and reduced access to information; 3) fundamental rights (tighter restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly and association); and 4) civil justice (longer delays, less effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and increased government influence).
- At the heart of this downturn is rising authoritarianism. As checks and balances erode and civic space contracts, executive power increasingly overrides legislatures and courts. Political interference in justice systems is growing, and judiciaries are steadily losing ground.
- Human rights underpin the rule of law. Yet, civic space, which is necessary for societies with strong rule of law, is shrinking. In the past year, more than 70% of countries have cut back on safeguards that keep governments open, accountable and responsive. Free speech is being silenced, with three essential civil and political rights experiencing curtailment in the majority of countries assessed: in 2025, 73% of countries saw freedom of opinion and expression decline; 72% of countries saw freedom of assembly and association decline; and 71% saw civic participation decline.
- Why is this important for companies? Operating in weak rule-of-law environments makes it more difficult for businesses to meet their responsibility to respect human rights and deliver on their commitments. Conversely, strong rule of law supports justice, opportunity and peace, and is linked to higher productivity, better education and health outcomes, and greater social stability.
- So, what can companies do? Companies can use the Index as one input into human rights due diligence, helping to identify, assess and prioritise human rights risks based on the severity and likelihood of harm to people. Tracking updates to the Index also allows companies to monitor changes in the rule of law across key markets and adjust their due diligence efforts as risks evolve.
Some key takeaways:
- The rule of law and why it matters: The WJP defines the rule of law as a durable system of laws, institutions, norms and community commitment that delivers on four universal principles: accountability (i.e., the government and private actors are accountable under the law); just law (i.e., the law is clear, publicised and stable, and is applied evenly. It also ensures human rights as well as property, contract and procedural rights); open government (i.e., the processes by which the law is adopted, administered, adjudicated and enforced are accessible, fair and efficient); and accessible and impartial justice (i.e., justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical and independent representatives and neutral parties who are accessible, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve). The rule is law is important and affects everyone. It is the foundation for communities of justice, opportunity and peace, underpinning development, accountable government and respect for fundamental rights. Research has shown that stronger rule of law correlates to higher economic productivity, greater peace, more eduction and improved health outcomes.
- The global rule of law recession is accelerating: For the eighth consecutive year, the rule of law weakened in more countries than those in which it improved (68% declined vs. 32% improved). On average, the overall rule of law scores dropped by 0.5%. In addition, the rate of rule of law declines outpaced improvements. For instance, in the last year, countries that improved saw an average score gain of 0.52%, while countries that deteriorated saw an average decline of twice that: -1.07%. This indicates that while building resilient rule of law institutions can be a long and iterative process, dismantling them can happen rapidly. The Index outlines how widespread declines in four factors are driving the rule of law recession: 1) constraints on government powers (i.e., declines were driven by deteriorations in limits by the legislature and the judiciary, and less independent auditing and review); 2) open government (i.e., restrictions were caused by declines in civic participation and the right to information); 3) fundamental rights (i.e., declines were driven by greater restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly and association); and 4) civil justice (i.e., declines were driven by longer delays, less effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and increased government influence). Rising authoritarianism, defined by weakening checks and balances and shrinking civic space, has been a primary force in this year’s rule of law downturn. It has driven widespread declines in constraints on government powers, open government and fundamental rights. Furthermore, judiciaries are losing ground to executive overreach, with rising political interference across justice systems.
- Civic space is shrinking: Human rights is one of eight factors that the Index uses to assess the rule of law. The fundamental rights that the Index looks at are: equal treatment and absence of discrimination; effective guarantee of the right to life and security of the person; due process of the law and rights of the accused; effective guarantee of freedom of opinion and expression; effective guarantee of freedom of belief and religion; effective guarantee of freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy; effective guarantee of freedom of assembly and association; and effective guarantee of fundamental labour rights. The Index shows that civic space, which is necessary for societies with strong rule of law, is shrinking. In the past year, more than 70% of countries have cut back on safeguards that keep governments open, accountable and responsive. Free speech is being silenced, with three essential civil and political rights experiencing curtailment in the majority of countries assessed: in 2025, 73% of countries saw freedom of opinion and expression decline; 72% of countries saw freedom of assembly and association decline; and 71% saw civic participation decline.
