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

Australia, at 0.99 against 0.989 in Sweden as of 2025.

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

237 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 Sweden: Rule of Law Index

Australia

0.99

in 2025

Sweden

0.989

in 2025

Australia rank

4th

Sweden rank

5th

Rule of Law Index over time

Australia
Sweden

How they compare

Australia currently reports 0.99 against 0.989 in Sweden, a difference of 0.001.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Australia ranks 4th and Sweden ranks 5th of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 6 and Sweden in 19.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Australia	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.777	0.849	0.072	Sweden
1790s	0.476	0.849	0.373	Sweden
1800s	0.347	0.8517	0.5047	Sweden
1810s	0.819	0.876	0.057	Sweden
1820s	0.8785	0.876	0.0025	Australia
1830s	0.904	0.876	0.028	Australia
1840s	0.904	0.897	0.007	Australia
1850s	0.9312	0.918	0.0132	Australia
1860s	0.972	0.963	0.009	Australia
1870s	0.972	0.963	0.009	Australia
1880s	0.972	0.974	0.002	Sweden
1890s	0.972	0.985	0.013	Sweden
1900s	0.9749	0.985	0.0101	Sweden
1910s	0.9768	0.9851	0.0083	Sweden
1920s	0.9772	0.9868	0.0096	Sweden
1930s	0.9764	0.9876	0.0112	Sweden
1940s	0.9761	0.988	0.0119	Sweden
1950s	0.99	0.991	0.001	Sweden
1960s	0.99	0.9929	0.0029	Sweden
1970s	0.9905	0.994	0.0035	Sweden
1980s	0.993	0.9948	0.0018	Sweden
1990s	0.993	0.995	0.002	Sweden
2000s	0.993	0.9946	0.0016	Sweden
2010s	0.9898	0.9937	0.0039	Sweden
2020s	0.9897	0.9912	0.0015	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Australia or Sweden?: Australia, at 0.99 against 0.989 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Australia and Sweden?: 0.001, with Australia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and Sweden?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Australia and Sweden rank globally for rule of law index?: Australia ranks 4th and Sweden ranks 5th of 176 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.

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Australia vs Sweden: Rule of Law Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/rule-of-law-index/australia/sweden/

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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: 18 September 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.