Australia vs New Zealand: Rule of law index
Australia
0.99
in 2025
New Zealand
0.989
in 2025
Australia rank
4th
New Zealand rank
5th
Rule of law index over time
- Australia
- New Zealand
How they compare
Australia currently reports 0.99 against 0.989 in New Zealand, a difference of 0.001.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 185 shared years of data; in 1841 it was New Zealand ahead.
Australia ranks 4th and New Zealand ranks 5th of 176 countries.
Across the 19 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 12 and New Zealand in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | New Zealand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1840s | 0.904 | 0.92 | 0.016 | New Zealand |
| 1850s | 0.9312 | 0.9536 | 0.0224 | New Zealand |
| 1860s | 0.972 | 0.968 | 0.004 | Australia |
| 1870s | 0.972 | 0.968 | 0.004 | Australia |
| 1880s | 0.972 | 0.968 | 0.004 | Australia |
| 1890s | 0.972 | 0.968 | 0.004 | Australia |
| 1900s | 0.9749 | 0.968 | 0.0069 | Australia |
| 1910s | 0.9768 | 0.9777 | 0.0009 | New Zealand |
| 1920s | 0.9772 | 0.981 | 0.0038 | New Zealand |
| 1930s | 0.9764 | 0.981 | 0.0046 | New Zealand |
| 1940s | 0.9761 | 0.981 | 0.0049 | New Zealand |
| 1950s | 0.99 | 0.981 | 0.009 | Australia |
| 1960s | 0.99 | 0.983 | 0.007 | Australia |
| 1970s | 0.9905 | 0.9834 | 0.0071 | Australia |
| 1980s | 0.993 | 0.9881 | 0.0049 | Australia |
| 1990s | 0.993 | 0.991 | 0.002 | Australia |
| 2000s | 0.993 | 0.991 | 0.002 | Australia |
| 2010s | 0.9898 | 0.9912 | 0.0014 | New Zealand |
| 2020s | 0.9897 | 0.989 | 0.0007 | Australia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rule of law index, Australia or New Zealand?
- Australia, at 0.99 against 0.989 in New Zealand as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rule of law index between Australia and New Zealand?
- 0.001, with Australia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and New Zealand?
- 185 years are reported by both, from 1841 to 2025.
- How do Australia and New Zealand rank globally for rule of law index?
- Australia ranks 4th and New Zealand ranks 5th of 176 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- 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.