BD ranks 123rd 

Bangladesh ranks 123rd in the World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2026, with persistent weaknesses in fundamental rights, civil justice and criminal justice continue to expose the gap between legal guarantees and their enforcement.

The country scored 0.393 on a scale of 1, up from 0.391 in 2025, marking a 0.6 per cent improvement. The WJP ranked Bangladesh the 15th most improved country globally and the best-performing improver in South Asia. However, its score remains well below the global average of 0.55.

The index assesses 143 countries and jurisdictions against eight criteria: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Bangladesh improved in only three areas�"constraints on government powers, absence of corruption and regulatory enforcement�"while its performance deteriorated in the remaining five, indicating that the overall progress has yet to translate into broader institutional gains.

The country’s weakest performance was in fundamental rights, where it ranked 133rd with a score of 0.30. Civil justice followed closely, with a score of 0.36 and a ranking of 132nd, highlighting continuing concerns over access to justice and the effective protection of legal rights.

Bangladesh ranked 124th in regulatory enforcement, scoring 0.40, while its criminal justice performance placed it 117th with a score of 0.32. The latter measures the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, including the administration of justice and the enforcement of legal safeguards.

In the absence of corruption category, which assesses bribery, improper influence and the misuse of public resources, Bangladesh ranked 113th with a score of 0.35. 

It placed 111th in constraints on government powers, scoring 0.38, a measure of the extent to which executive authority is subject to legal and institutional checks.

Open government was Bangladesh’s strongest-performing category, with a score of 0.41 and a ranking of 106th. In order and security, which evaluates the protection of individuals and property, the country ranked 107th with a score of 0.63.

Despite moving up the global rankings, Bangladesh remains behind several African countries. Zimbabwe ranked 122nd, Nigeria 120th, Sierra Leone 110th, Liberia 103rd, Kenya 100th and Ghana 62nd.

The findings underscore the need to strengthen institutional accountability, protect fundamental rights and improve access to effective civil and criminal justice. 

Bangladesh’s modest advance in the rankings offers a measure of progress, but its low scores in key areas suggest that sustained legal and institutional reforms remain essential to securing the rule of law.