Bangladesh rises in rule of law index, trails Africa

Bangladesh has advanced two places to 123rd among 143 countries and jurisdictions in the World Justice Project's (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2026, but still trails several African nations.

The country ranks behind Zimbabwe (122nd), Nigeria (120th), Sierra Leone (110th), Liberia (103rd), Kenya (100th) and Ghana (62nd).

Bangladesh's score rose 0.6% to 0.393 out of 1 from 0.391 in 2025, making it one of the world's 15 most improved countries and the biggest improver in South Asia. However, its score remains below the global average of 0.55.

The index assesses eight areas, including government accountability, corruption, fundamental rights, public safety and justice. Bangladesh improved in only three areas, while its performance declined in the other five.

Its weakest performance was in fundamental rights, ranking 133rd with a score of 0.30, followed by civil justice at 132nd with 0.36.

Bangladesh ranked 124th in regulatory enforcement, 117th in criminal justice, 113th in absence of corruption and 111th in constraints on government powers.

Its strongest performance was in open government, ranking 106th with 0.41, followed by order and security at 107th with 0.63.

-AJM