page_title: World Justice Project
section_title: WJP Rule of Law Index
hierarchical_section_title: World Justice Project / WJP Rule of Law Index
caption_attribution_description: English: A colour-coded map showing how well citizens of each of the 113 countries ranked by the World Justice Project adhere to the rule of law. Based on data from the 2017–18 report by the World Justice Project.
context_page_description: The World Justice Project is an international civil society organization with the stated mission of "working to advance the rule of law around the world".
  The WJP works through three programs — Research and Scholarship, the WJP Rule of Law Index, and Engagement. WJP seeks to increase public awareness about the foundational importance of the rule of law, stimulate government reforms, and develop practical programs at the community level.
  It was founded by William H. Neukom in 2006 as a presidential initiative of the American Bar Association and with the support of 21 partners. The World Justice Project became an independent 501 non-profit organization in 2009. Its offices are located in Washington, D.C., and Seattle, Washington.
context_section_description: The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index is a quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a detailed and comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice. The Index provides data on eight dimensions of the rule of law: limited government powers; absence of corruption; order and security; fundamental rights; open government; regulatory enforcement; civil justice; and criminal justice. These factors are further disaggregated into forty-four indicators. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of rule of law compliance. The index is typically published annually.
  The Index rankings and scores are built from over 400 variables drawn from two new data sources: (i) a general population poll (GPP), designed by the WJP and conducted by leading local polling companies using a probability sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities of each country; and (ii) a qualified respondents' questionnaire (QRQ) completed by in-country experts in civil and commercial law, criminal law, labor law, and public health. To date, over 97,000 people and 2,500 experts have been interviewed in 99 countries and jurisdictions.
  Adherence to the rule of law is assessed using 47 indicators organized around eight themes: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. In addition to country scores and rankings, the Index also includes key global findings as well as an analysis of regional strengths, rule of law challenges, best and worst performers, and trends to watch.
  Data from the WJP Rule of Law Index is used as an indicator of political and legal freedom in the Basel AML Index, a money laundering risk assessment tool developed by the Basel Institute on Governance.
caption: Countries by adherence to the Rule of Law according to the 2017–18 World Justice Project report
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