Which has higher rule of law index, Australia or Germany?

Germany, at 0.991 against 0.99 in Australia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Germany?

191 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.

Where does this data come from?

V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Rule of Law Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Australia vs Germany: Rule of Law Index

Australia

0.99

in 2025

Germany

0.991

in 2025

Australia rank

4th

Germany rank

3rd

Rule of Law Index over time

Australia
Germany

How they compare

Germany currently reports 0.991 against 0.99 in Australia, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 191 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Australia ahead.

Australia ranks 4th and Germany ranks 3rd of 173 countries.

Across the 21 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 15 and Germany in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Australia	Germany	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.777	0.638	0.139	Australia
1790s	0.476	0.638	0.162	Germany
1800s	0.347	0.638	0.291	Germany
1810s	0.819	0.638	0.181	Australia
1820s	0.8785	0.638	0.2405	Australia
1830s	0.904	0.638	0.266	Australia
1840s	0.904	0.6625	0.2415	Australia
1850s	0.9312	0.776	0.1552	Australia
1860s	0.972	0.7847	0.1873	Australia
1870s	0.972	0.8365	0.1355	Australia
1880s	0.972	0.84	0.132	Australia
1890s	0.972	0.877	0.095	Australia
1900s	0.9749	0.8762	0.0987	Australia
1910s	0.9768	0.8643	0.1125	Australia
1920s	0.9772	0.8898	0.0874	Australia
1930s	0.9764	0.4284	0.548	Australia
1940s	0.975	0.201	0.774	Australia
1990s	0.993	0.9938	0.0008	Germany
2000s	0.993	0.993	0	—
2010s	0.9898	0.9929	0.0031	Germany
2020s	0.9897	0.991	0.0013	Germany

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Australia or Germany?: Germany, at 0.991 against 0.99 in Australia as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Australia and Germany?: 0.001, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Germany?: 191 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Australia and Germany rank globally for rule of law index?: Australia ranks 4th and Germany ranks 3rd of 173 countries.
Where does this data come from?: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Rule of Law Index. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Rule of Law Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,303 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which the government complies with the law, courts are independent, laws transparent, justice accessible, corruption absent, and the bureaucracy is impartial.