Global Lawand Order2021

C O P Y R I G H T S TA N D A R D SThis document contains proprietary research, copyrighted and trademarked
materials of Gallup, Inc. Accordingly, international and domestic laws and penalties
guaranteeing patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection safeguard
the ideas, concepts and recommendations related within this document.

The materials contained in this document and/or the document itself may be downloaded
and/or copied provided that all copies retain the copyright, trademark and any otherproprietary notices contained on the materials and/or document. No changes may bemade to this document without the express written permission of Gallup, Inc.
Any reference whatsoever to this document, in whole or in part, on any web page must
provide a link back to the original document in its entirety. Except as expressly provided
herein, the transmission of this material shall not be construed to grant a license of any
type under any patents, copyright or trademarks owned or controlled by Gallup, Inc.

Global Law and Order | 2021

Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive
societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all,and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
The United Nations’ most recent progress
report on its Sustainable Development Goals
for 2030 concludes that, in the second full yearof the COVID-19 pandemic, “the world is still along way from achieving the goal of peaceful,just and inclusive societies.” But for the world tokeep moving forward, it will need to do so from afoundation of “peace, stability, respect for humanrights, effective governance and the rule of law.”

the rule of law were collected throughout thefirst full year of the pandemic, and through thefirst half of the second, providing a sense ofwhere this foundation is stronger and weaker.
The results overall show that not much changed
between 2019 and 2020, and there is stillmuch room to grow. Two of the security metrics
Gallup asks about — people’s feelings of safety
walking alone at night in the area where they live
(an indicator of SDG 16) and their confidence
in local police — ticked only slightly higher.

Gallup’s latest global surveys on people’sperceptions of their own security and faith inGallup’s Law and Order Index uses four questions to gauge people’s sense of personal
security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement.
L AW AND ORDE R INDE X• In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?
• Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
• Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property
stolen from you or another household member?

• Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?
The 2021 Global Law and Order report presents the results from Gallup’s latest
measurements of people’s answers to these questions, based on interviews withmore than 120,000 adults in 115 countries and areas in 2020. It also features
data from fieldwork in 51 countries released as of October 2021.

1Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Law and Order Index
WO RLDW IDE 2020

2Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Countries/Areas With Highest
Law and Order Index Scores

Countries/Areas With Lowest
Law and Order Index Scores

COUNTRY

LAW AND
ORDER INDEXCOUNTRY

LAW AND
ORDER INDEX

Norway94

Namibia62

United Arab Emirates

93

Mali

62

China

93

Republic of Congo

62

Switzerland

93

Zambia62

Finland

92

South Africa

61

Iceland

92

Nigeria59

Tajikistan

92

Peru

59

Taiwan, Province of China

91

Cameroon

58

Slovenia

91

Uganda57

Austria91

Guinea57

Portugal

91

Gabon

53

Venezuela

53

G AL LUP WORL D POLL , 2 0 2 0

Full results for all countries available
at the back of the report.

3Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Law and Order | 2021

Most of the World Remains
Confident in Police, Feels Secure
Because of the pandemic, Gallup was unable
to field its surveys in two countries that havescored the highest and lowest on the index year
after year — Singapore and Afghanistan.

Nearly seven in 10 people worldwide in 2020
said they feel safe walking alone at night where
they live (72%) and have confidence in theirlocal police (71%). About one in eight (13%) said
they had money or property stolen from themor another household member in the past year,
and 6% said they were assaulted or mugged.

Norway, which posted the highest score on theindex in 2020 with a 94, consistently ranks near thetop. Venezuela and Gabon, which posted the lowest
scores on the index in 2020, with scores of 53, also
consistently rank near the bottom. While data from
Venezuela and Gabon are not yet available in 2021,
the score for Norway in 2021 remained a high 93.
Notably, the data in Norway were collected before
the nation‑shocking bow and arrow and stabbing
attack in October that claimed five people’s lives.

These figures have not changed much for years, butin 2020, the percentages of people who said they
feel safe walking alone at night and have confidence
in their local police edged up just slightly, from
69% for each in 2019. The other figures remainedin line with those from the past several years.
Gallup compiles the “positive” responses to thesefour questions into a Law and Order Index score foreach country. The higher the score, the higher theproportion of the population that reports feeling safe.
The index score for the world in 2020 was 82 out ofa possible 100 — basically unchanged since 2017.

5Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America
Face Security Challenges
For years, people in Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa havebeen the least likely among all global regions to feel secure in their communities.
However, for the first time in 2020, sub‑Saharan Africa’s score on Gallup’s Law andOrder Index was lower than the score for Latin America and the Caribbean — althoughjust by one point, with a score of 65 that is on par with the 66 for Latin America.

6Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Law and Order | 2021

Law and Order Index by Region
SCORES BY REGION

2017

2018

2019

2020

CHANGE

East Asia

87

90

92

92

0

Western Europe

85

86

86

87

1U.S. and Canada

85

83

85

87

2

Southeast Asia

8685

85

83-2

Eastern Europe

81

8181

82

1Middle East and North Africa

80

8181

81

0South Asia

8380

7981

2

Commonwealth of Independent States

747677770Latin America and the Caribbean

62636666

0Sub-Saharan Africa

68676765-2

GALLUP WORLD PO LL , 2 0 2 0

In most regions, the 2020 scores on the Law
and Order Index were relatively within the rangeof scores for the past few years. However, thescore in sub-Saharan Africa ticked slightly
downward, as did the score in Southeast Asia.
Overall, in most regions, index scores for individual
countries tended to change relatively little.

In each of these five countries, people’s confidence
in their local police moved in a negative direction,
including substantial drops from 55% to 40% inNigeria — where allegations of police brutality led
to violent protests — and 56% to 40% in Guinea.
Further, the percentage who felt safe walking alone
at night did not top 50% in any of them in 2020,
except for Kenya, where 56% said they felt safe.

Lower security scores in a handful of countries
in sub-Saharan Africa helped deflate the region’s
overall score slightly in 2020. Index scores declined
in Guinea, Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon and Kenya.

7Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Law and Order Index Scores in Sub-Saharan Africa
COUNTRY

2019

2020

DIFFERENCEGuinea

65

57

-8

Nigeria

66

59-7Mali

69

62-7

Cameroon

63

58-5

Kenya

67

63

-4

Republic of the Congo

65

62-3

Uganda59

57-2

Ethiopia

71

69-2

Tanzania

80

79-1

Burkina Faso

76

75

-1

Zimbabwe

67

66

-1

Namibia

63

62-1

Ghana

69

69

0Zambia

62

620Gabon

52

53

1Mauritius

82

83

1

Ivory Coast6971

2South Africa

57

61

4Senegal

71754Benin69778GALLUP WORLD PO LL , 2 0 2 08Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Venezuelans, Gabonese Least Likely
in the World to Feel Safe Walking
Alone at Night Where They LiveIn most economically developed countries andterritories with strong rule of law, high majorities
of residents say they feel safe walking alone intheir area at night. The same is true in countrieswhere populations are under tighter state
control. For example, these feelings were nearly
universal in 2020 in the United Arab Emirates(95%), Norway (93%), China (91%) and Slovenia(91%). So far in 2021, Norwegians (93%) andUAE residents (92%) largely feel the same way.

The two countries with the lowest scores on theLaw and Order Index, Venezuela and Gabon, werealso the least likely in 2020 to say they feel safe
walking alone in their area at night — 31% of thepopulations in each said they felt this way. Thesepercentages are similar to those from 2019, whenpeople in Venezuela and Gabon were, after Afghans,
the least likely in the world to feel safe. Notably,the 31% in Venezuela who feel safe is the highest
percentage to say so in the country since 2012.
The record low for Venezuela was 12% in 2016.

In 2020, the U.S. was slightly above the global
average at 78%, when Americans wereinterviewed during the heart of the pandemic
lockdown in March through early May 2020. A
year later, in 2021, slightly fewer (73%) Americans
said they felt safe walking alone at night.

The countries in which residents are least likely
to say they feel safe walking alone at night are
exclusively a mix of countries in Latin America
and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa.
Six of them also ranked among the least safein 2019 — Brazil, the Dominican Republic,Namibia, South Africa, Gabon and Venezuela.

10Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Countries/Areas Where People
Feel Safest Walking Alone
COUNTRYCountries/Areas Where People
Feel Least Safe Walking Alone% FEEL SAFECOUNTRY% FEEL SAFE

United Arab Emirates

95%

Brazil

45%

Norway93%

Dominican Republic

45%

China

91%

Uganda45%

Slovenia

91%

Cameroon

43%

Taiwan89%

Mexico42%Finland

88%

Chile

41%

Tajikistan

88%

Guinea40%

Croatia87%

Namibia

40%

Austria

86%

Peru

40%

Switzerland

86%

South Africa

40%

Gabon

31%

Venezuela

31%

G AL LUP WORL D POLL , 2 0 2 0

11Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Law and Order | 2021

Confidence in the Local Police
More than seven in 10 adults worldwide (71%) in 2020 said they have confidence in their local
police. The results vary significantly by region, however, from a low of 49% in Latin America and theCaribbean to 82% in Western Europe and Northern America.

Percentage Confident in Police by Region
REGION

2019

2020

CHANGE

Western Europe

83

82-1

Northern America

80

82

2

Southeast Asia

81

78

-3

South Asia

7377

4

East Asia

71

73

2Middle East and North Africa

71

72

1

Eastern Europe

71

66-5

Sub-Saharan Africa

60

56-4

Commonwealth of Independent States

53

56

3Latin America and the Caribbean

49490

GALLUP WORLD PO LL

The relatively low average on this measure in Latin America and the Caribbean is not
surprising, given the region’s poor performance on all of the Law and Order Index component
metrics in 2020 and in previous years. The 49% who were confident in 2020 is unchanged
from the previous year, but it is also on the higher end for historical scores in the region.
With rare exceptions, confidence in the police remained stable or improved across most ofLatin America and the Caribbean in 2020. Confidence plummeted 10 points in Bolivia, which
was rocked by violent protests that virtually brought the country to a standstill. Bolivians’
confidence in police dropped from 45% in 2019 — which was a record high — to 35% thenext year. In 2021, the situation is no better; 34% in Bolivia are confident in their local police.

12

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

71% of adults worldwide
have confidence in theirlocal police.

13

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

Global Law and Order | 2021

Percentage Confident in Local Police in Latin America
COUNTRY20192020DIFFERENCE

Uruguay

66%

75%

9El Salvador

70%

69%

-1

Costa Rica

56%

69%

13

Jamaica

51%

62%

11Ecuador

54%

60%

6

Nicaragua

56%

57%

1

Argentina

52%

57%

5

Colombia

53%

55%

2

Brazil

53%

54%

1

Dominican Republic

48%

53%

5

Chile

44%

52%

8

Paraguay

55%

48%

-7

Peru

46%

43%

-3

Mexico

40%

38%

-2

Bolivia

45%

35%

-10

Venezuela

28%

26%

-2

GALLUP WORLD PO LL , 2 0 2 0

14

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Law and Order Index Scores for 2020
COUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORECOUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORE

Norway94

Japan

86

United Arab Emirates

93

Kosovo

86

China

93

South Korea

86

Switzerland

93

Indonesia

86

Finland

92

Philippines

85

Iceland92

Ireland

85

Tajikistan

92

Croatia

85

Taiwan, Province of China

91

United Kingdom

85

Slovenia

91

France85

Austria

91

Egypt

85

Portugal

91

Hungary

85

Netherlands

89

Italy

84

Uzbekistan

89

Sri Lanka

84

Denmark

89

Israel84

Estonia89

Pakistan

84

Jordan89Montenegro

84

Malta88

Vietnam83

Sweden88Cambodia

83

Germany

88

Slovakia

83

Georgia88

Australia

83

Spain

87

New Zealand83

United States

87

Mauritius

83

Czech Republic

86

Lithuania

82

Canada

86

Iran

82

Saudi Arabia

86

Malaysia

82

17

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

COUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORECOUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORE

Hong Kong

82

Nepal

78

Bosnia and Herzegovina

82

North Macedonia

78

Myanmar81

Laos78

Poland81

Greece78

Latvia

81

Benin

77

India

81

Bangladesh77

Cyprus80

Bulgaria

77

Romania

80

Russia76

Serbia80

Moldova76

Albania80

Kazakhstan

75

Jamaica80

Burkina Faso

75

Belgium

80

Thailand75

Turkey79

Senegal75

El Salvador

79

Algeria75

Tanzania

79

Morocco75

Kyrgyzstan

79

Mongolia

75

Iraq

78

Uruguay

75

18

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

COUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORECOUNTRY/TERRITORYLAW AND ORDERINDEX SCORE

Lebanon74

Bolivia

63

Costa Rica

74

Mexico63

Ivory Coast71

Namibia

62

Ghana

69

Mali

62

Brazil69

Republic of the Congo

62

Ethiopia69

Zambia62

Nicaragua

69

South Africa

61

Colombia

68

Nigeria

59

Ukraine

68

Peru

59

Tunisia

68

Cameroon

58

Argentina

68

Uganda57

Ecuador

67

Guinea57

Paraguay

67

Gabon

53

Dominican Republic

67

Venezuela

53

Zimbabwe

66

Chile

66

Kenya

63

G A L LU P WO RL D PO L L , 2 0 2 0

19

Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Global Law and Order | 2021

Methodology
Results for the 2020 perceptions of law and order are
based on nationally representative, probability‑based
samples among the adult populations, aged 15 andolder, in 115 countries and areas throughout 2020.

Results for the 2021 perceptions of law and order are
based on nationally representative, probability-based
samples among the adult populations, aged 15 andolder, in 51 countries and areas surveyed between
April and August 2021. Surveys were conducted
either through telephone or face-to-face interviews.

In most countries/areas, surveys were conducted
over mobile and landline telephones; some in‑person
interviews were conducted in Republic of theCongo, India, Mali, Pakistan and Senegal.

For results based on the total sample ofnational adults, the margin of sampling
error ranges from ±2.8 to ±5.0 percentage
points at the 95% confidence level.

For results based on the total sample of nationaladults, the margin of sampling error ranges
from ±1.1 to ±5.5 percentage points at the 95%
confidence level.

The margin of error reflects the influence ofdata weighting. In addition to sampling error,question wording and practical difficulties inconducting surveys can introduce error or bias
into the findings of public opinion polls.

For more details on the 2020 fieldwork: https://news.gallup.com/opinion/gallup/328745/galluplearning-polling-world-pandemic.aspx

20Copyright © 2021 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
LawAndOrder_WP_Report_110121_hs

Analytics

Analyze theworld in
one click.
Learn more!

For more information about
Gallup Analytics, email
gallupanalytics@gallup.com.