The Global Rule of Law Index of 2024 – WJP

The rule of law is a fundamental concept in the governance of states and their institutions, playing a crucial role in determining the level of progress and civilization of nations. The World Justice Project (WJP) released its latest report on October 22, 2024, which examined 142 countries participating in the program. This comprehensive report, prepared based on over 214,000 surveys of civil society and 3,500 legal expert consultations, provides an accurate and scientific picture of the state of the rule of law around the world.

The WJP conceptualizes the rule of law based on four key pillars: first, accountability of power and government under the law; second, laws that are clear, stable, and just; third, the process of making and enforcing laws is open and transparent; and fourth, justice is delivered in a fair and effective manner.

According to the report, the Scandinavian countries are leading in the implementation of the rule of law. Denmark ranks first with a score of 0.90, followed by Norway and Finland, who share the second place with a score of 0.89 (see Table 1 and Graph 1). This remarkable achievement is the result of several important factors, including an independent and professional judicial system, high levels of transparency in law enforcement, systematic anti-corruption efforts, high public trust in legal institutions, and equality before the law.

In the Middle East and the Arab world, the data presents a starkly different picture. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) leads the region with a score of 0.66, followed by Jordan at 0.55 (see Table 2 and Graph 2). Despite notable progress in this area, these low scores indicate weaknesses in the judicial system, widespread corruption, political interference in the justice system, lack of necessary transparency, and low public confidence in legal institutions. It is worth noting that Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, is not included in this ranking as it is not a member of the WJP program.