Uganda ranked 125th out of 142 countries in respect for rule of law

The rule of law has once again eroded in majority of countries this year, according to the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2023.

However, Uganda is among the minority countries to see its Rule of Law index score increase this year.

According to the latest index, Uganda’s score has increased, ranking 28th out of 34 regionally in the Sub-Saharan Africa, and 125th out of 142 surveyed countries globally.

The region’s top performer is Rwanda, ranking 41st out of 142 surveyed countries globally, followed by Namibia and Mauritius.

Tanzania ranks 98th while Kenya ranks 101st globally.

Among low income countries, Uganda ranks 13th out of 18.

Meanwhile, the index shows that the rule of law factor to decline most between 2016 and 2023 is fundamental rights; down in 77% of countries including Uganda.

Furthermore, the index indicates that two thirds of countries (66%) saw their index scores for Civil Justice fall this year, up from 61% of countries last year, largely blamed on greater justice delays and weaker enforcement.

Uganda bucked up the trend and is among those that saw an improvement in its Civil Justice score.

“The World remains grappled by rule of law recession characterised by executive overreach, curtailing of human rights, and justice systems that are failing to meet people’s needs.” says WJP president, William Neukom.

Globally, the top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index is Denmark, followed by Norway (2), Finland (3), Sweden (4), and Germany (5).

The bottom ranked countries are Venezuela (142), Cambodia (141), Afghanistan (140), Haiti (139), and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (138).

The countries with the biggest rule of law declines in the past year are Sudan, Mali, Iran, Nicaragua, and Afghanistan, while the countries that improved their rule of law score most 2022-2023 are Bulgaria, Honduras, Kenya, Slovenia, and Jordan. Honduras was also a top improver last year.

About the WJP Rule of Law Index

The World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index is the world’s leading source for original, independent data on the rule of law.

Now covering 142 countries and jurisdictions, the Index relies on more than 149,000 household surveys and 3,400 legal practitioner and expert surveys to measure how the rule of law is experienced and perceived worldwide.