WJP Rule of Law Index 2015 released; India placed 59th out of 102 countries

The US-based World Justice Project (WJP) on 2 June 2015 released the Rule of Law Index 2015. The 2015 index, fifth in the series, provides data on how the rule of law is experienced in 102 countries around the globe.

The index has been topped by Denmark followed by Norway, Sweden and Finland at second, third and fourth place respectively. All the four countries have score above 0.85.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Venezuela are placed at bottom of the index with 100, 101 and 102 rank respectively. All these countries have score of less than 0.37.

India with a score of 0.51 has been placed at 59th position and is ranked at third place out of six countries in the South Asian region.

Main highlights of the Rule of Law Index 2015

• Denmark tops the index overall and also in the categories Constraints on Government Power and Absence of Corruption.
• In Open Government category, the index is topped by Sweden
• Finland tops the index in the categories Fundamental Rights and Criminal Justice
• In the category Order and Security, the index is topped by Japan
• When it comes to category Regulatory Enforcement and Civil Justice, it has been topped by Singapore and the Netherlands

Position of India in the Index

• India with a score of 0.51 has been placed at 59th position
• It is placed at 10th place out of 25 lower middle income countries.
• India’s performance for criminal justice places it at 44th rank globally, top performer in South Asia and at Number 4 among lower middle income countries.
• In Civil Justice category, India is placed at 88th rank globally, third in South Asia and 19th among lower middle income countries.
• India is placed at 37th place in the category Open Government and at third place among lower middle income countries
• In the category Order and Security, India is placed at 90th position worldwide, fourth in South Asia and 20 among lower middle income countries.
• It is ranked at third place out of six countries in the South Asian region which is topped by Nepal (48) followed by Sri Lanka (58), Bangladesh (92), Pakistan (98) and Afghanistan (101).
• India is placed at third place among the BRICS countries, which has been topped by South Africa (36) followed by Brazil (46), China (71) and Russia (75).

About Rule of Law Index 2015

The Index is based on survey of over a 1000 respondents from three big cities, along with local legal experts, in each country. The data, collected in 2013, measures how the rule of law is experienced in practical, everyday situations using 47 indicators across eight categories.

These eight categories are: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.

The index ranks countries on a scale of 0 to 1 (with 1 indicating strongest adherence to the Rule of Law).

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