According to the Rule of Law Index 2025, 68% of countries witnessed a decline in their rule of law in the year under review as compared to 57% in the previous year. The Rule of Law Index, which is published every year by the World Justice Project, is the world’s leading source of reliable rule of law data for 143 countries and territorial jurisdictions.
The WJP Rule of Law Index collects data on eight pillars: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice. Scores range from 0 to 1, where 1 signifies the highest possible observance of the rule of law.
In the words of WJP’s Executive Director, “The steady deterioration in the rule of law had slowed in recent years. This year, however, we see a sharp reversal: more countries are declining, and fewer are improving.” Last year, countries that improved saw an average score gain of 0.52%, while countries that turned negative saw an average decline of twice that: 1.07%. This means that while building resilient rule of law institutions can be a lengthy process, dismantling them is easy.
The report ascribes this decline to a rise in authoritarian trends – namely a reduction in civic space and weakening checks against the misuse of power. An important finding is that independent scrutiny and oversight of government powers declined in 63% of the countries surveyed, while legislative checks on executive power declined in 61%. Judicial check on government power also declined in 61% of countries. Simultaneously, freedom of opinion and expression fell in 73% of countries, freedom of assembly and association fell in 72% and civic participation fell in 71%. Equally concerning is the fact that judicial independence, the primary defence against executive excesses, is weakening around the world day by day.
The index shows that judiciaries are losing ground to executive overreach, with rising political interference in the justice systems. Indicators measuring whether the judiciary checks executive power and whether civil and criminal justice are free from government influence declined in 61%, 67%, and 62% of countries, respectively. More broadly, civil justice weakened in 68% of countries. This decline means longer delays, less effective alternatives to court (such as mediation), and greater government interference.
Denmark, Norway, and Finland were once again named the most law-abiding nations in the world. These Scandinavian countries have consistently held the top positions thanks to their strong justice systems, transparent governance, and low levels of corruption. The report notes that New Zealand and nine European countries are also among the top ten nations in the rule of law rankings, underscoring Europe’s continued leadership in the areas of governance and legal integrity.
The top-ranked countries in the index are Denmark (1), Norway (2), Finland (3), Sweden (4), New Zealand (5); while the bottom-ranked countries are Venezuela (143), Afghanistan (142), Cambodia (141), Haiti (140), Nicaragua (139). Among major global powers, the United Kingdom ranked 14th, while the United States stood at 27th. The most significant decliners include the Russian Federation (-4.9%), Sudan (-4.4%), and Mozambique (-3.9%).
Unfortunately, Pakistan has fallen one rank in the Rule of Law Index, ranking 130th out of 143 countries in the 2025 global report. According to the report, Pakistan continues to face challenges with regard to judicial independence, enforcement of legal decisions, and constraints on government powers.
There is another important index in which Pakistan has not fared well. The UK-based Henley and Partners recently issued its 2025 global passport ranking in which Pakistan was placed at 96th position with Yemen and Somalia — the fourth least powerful in the world. The citizenship and residence advisory firm issues an annual ranking of passports, comparing the visa-free access of 199 different passports to 227 travel destinations. Pakistan’s neighbouring countries — China, India and Iran — are ranked at 60, 77 and 91 on the global rankings, respectively.
Singapore tops the list as the world’s most powerful passport, with visa-free access to 193 destinations out of 227 globally. Asian nations continue to lead the global mobility race, with Japan and South Korea sharing 2nd place, each granting their citizens access to 190 destinations visa-free. European countries form the rest of the Top 5. Seven EU passports shared 3rd place — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, all with access to 189 destinations.
Another seven-nation European group, with visa-free entry to 188 destinations, are joint 4th — Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden — while New Zealand, the only nation to challenge the regional dominance, tied in 5th place with Greece and Switzerland. At the other end of the global mobility spectrum, Afghanistan remains at the bottom of the ranking, with its citizens able to access just 25 destinations without a prior visa — a staggering mobility gap of 168 destinations between the top- and bottom-ranked passport.