The Rule of Law Index is a new quantitative assessment tool designed by the World Justice Project to measure the extent to which countries around the world adhere to the Rule of Law. The Index provides detailed information regarding a variety of dimensions of the Rule of Law, which enables policymakers and other users to assess a nation’s adherence to the Rule of Law in practice, identify a nation’s strengths and weaknesses in comparison to similarly situated countries, and track changes over time.

The Index, which constitutes the World Justice Project’s definition of the Rule of Law, consists of 16 factors and 68 sub factors, organized under the following set of four principles, or bands:

1. The government and its officials and agents are accountable under the law;
2. The laws are clear, publicized, stable and fair, and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property;
3. The process by which the laws are enacted, administered and enforced is accessible, fair and efficient;
4. Access to justice is provided by competent, independent, and ethical adjudicators, attorneys or representatives, and judicial officers who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

These principles are derived from a wide array of international sources, including the United Nations' Declaration of Human Rights, that enjoy broad acceptance across countries with vastly differing social, cultural, economic, and political systems. It has also been vetted in WJP meetings on five continents.

While other indices cover certain aspects of the Rule of Law, such as human rights, commercial law, or corruption, the Rule of Law Index is the first to treat the Rule of Law comprehensively.

Path Forward

In 2009, the Rule of Law Index covered 35 countries across the globe. Coverage will expand to 70 countries in 2010. It is anticipated that the Index will attain a global reach of 100 countries by 2011.

The World Justice Project has been encouraged by the steady progress made in building an Index that is comprehensive, robust and methodologically sound. We are gratified by the reception it has thus far received. Nonetheless, the Index remains a work in progress.

The preliminary Rule of Law Index Report 2009 , presented at the World Justice Forum II in Vienna in November 2009, is now available for download. Building on the valuable engagement of the Forum participants and academic advisors around the world, the Rule of Law Index Report 2010 will be publicly released in October 2010.

Methodology

The Rule of Law Index is based on two sources of new data: (i) A general population poll, conducted by leading local polling companies using a representative sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities of each country; and (ii) an experts’ questionnaire consisting of questions completed by in-country practitioners and academics with expertise in civil and commercial law, criminal justice, labor law, and public health.

The WJP methodology anchors expert opinion on rigorous polling of the general public, thus ensuring that the findings reflect the conditions experienced by the population, including marginalized sectors of society.

For more information on the methodology of the Rule of Law Index, please download the preliminary Rule of Law Index Report 2009 presented at the World Justice Forum II in Vienna in November 2009.