By FutureLaw Desk

The World Justice Project (WJP) released the Rule of Law Index ® 2020, which is claimed as the world’s leading source for original data on the rule of law. The 2020 edition covers 128 countries and jurisdictions, relying on more than 130,000 household and 4000 expert surveys to measure how the rule of law is experienced in practical, everyday situations by the general public worldwide.

In the latest index, Bangladesh is standing at the 115th position among 128 countries.

In the previous report of 2018-2019, Bangladesh stood at the 112nd position among  126 countries. However, in 2017, Bangladesh stood at the 102nd position (among 113 countries). In 2016, Bangladesh stood at the 103rd position (among 113 countries) and in 2015, Bangladesh was placed at the 93rd position (among 102 countries) in the Rule of Law Index.

In this years’ index, Bangladesh’s score places it at 4 out of 6 countries in the South Asia region. South Asia’s top performer in the Index is Nepal (61th out of 128 countries globally), followed by Sri Lanka and India. The three countries with the lowest scores in the region were Bangladesh, Pakistan (120), and Afghanistan (122nd out of 126 countries globally).

The top three overall performers in the 2020 WJP Rule of Law Index were Denmark (1), Norway (2), and Finland (3); the bottom three were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (126), Cambodia (127), and Venezuela (128)

The WJP Rule of Law Index® measures rule of law adherence in 128 countries and jurisdictions worldwide based on more than 130,000 household and 4,000 expert surveys. Featuring primary data, the WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries’ rule of law performance across eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

The complete 2020 report—including country profiles, data visualizations, methodology is available Here.

The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, multidisciplinary organization working to advance the rule of law around the world. The rule of law provides the foundation for communities of opportunity and equity – communities that offer sustainable economic development, accountable government, and respect for fundamental rights. It was founded by William H. Neukom (former chief of the Legal department, Microsoft) in 2006 as a presidential initiative of the American Bar Association, and with the support of 21 partners; and now stands as an independent non-profit body.