Bangladesh ranks 127th in Rule of Law Index for 3rd consecutive year

Bangladesh has remained in the 127th position out of 142 countries in the 2024 Rule of Law Index, marking its third consecutive year at this rank.

Despite a slight increase in its overall score by 0.3% to 0.39 from 0.38 in 2023, the country's performance remains below both the global average of 0.55 and the South Asian average of 0.43. 

The latest index, released by the World Justice Project (WJP) on Wednesday (23 October), shows that Bangladesh ranked 4th out of six South Asian countries, only ahead of Pakistan (129th) and Afghanistan (140th).

Nepal leads the region at 69th place with a score of 0.52, followed by Sri Lanka (75th) and India (79th). Among lower-middle-income countries, Bangladesh ranks 28th out of 38.

The WJP Rule of Law Index, a leading source of independent rule of law data, measures adherence to the rule of law in 142 countries and jurisdictions.

The index uses surveys of experts and households to assess eight key factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

Each country's score ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 indicating the strongest adherence to the rule of law.

Bangladesh's performance across key factors

Bangladesh's highest ranking came in the "Open Government" category, where it placed 107th with a score of 0.40.

This factor measures the transparency of the government, its accountability mechanisms, and citizen participation in public policy deliberations.

The country also performed relatively well in "Order and Security", ranking 109th with a score of 0.63, which assesses how effectively a society ensures the security of individuals and property.

In the "Absence of Corruption" category, which considers factors like bribery, improper influence, and misappropriation of public resources, Bangladesh ranked 117th with a score of 0.33.

For the "Constraints on Government Powers" category, the country placed 121st with a score of 0.36, which evaluates the extent to which those who govern are held accountable under the law.

Bangladesh ranked 122nd in the "Criminal Justice" category, scoring 0.31, reflecting the functioning of the criminal justice system.

In "Regulatory Enforcement", the country ranked 124th with a score of 0.39, assessing the fairness and effectiveness of regulations.

In the "Civil Justice" category, which measures whether people can resolve their grievances through the civil justice system, Bangladesh ranked 132nd with a score of 0.36.

Bangladesh's worst performance was in the "Fundamental Rights" category, where it ranked 134th with a score of 0.30. This category evaluates the protection of core human rights as established under international law.

Global perspective on rule of law

The top positions in the 2024 WJP Rule of Law Index remain unchanged from 2023, with Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany leading the list.

At the bottom are Venezuela (142), Cambodia (141), Afghanistan (140), Haiti (139), and Myanmar (138).

WJP Co-founder and President William H Neukom commented on the results, saying, "After seven consecutive years of rule of law declines, it can be easy to focus on the negative. But to do so would ignore accomplishments in anti-corruption and the hard work occurring to improve justice systems globally."

"The global community must redouble efforts to expand these rule of law gains in all areas," he added.