Which has higher rule of law index, Canada or Netherlands?

Netherlands, at 0.969 against 0.963 in Canada as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Netherlands?

185 years are reported by both, from 1841 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.

Canada vs Netherlands: Rule of Law Index

Canada

0.963

in 2025

Netherlands

0.969

in 2025

Canada rank

17th

Netherlands rank

14th

Rule of Law Index over time

Canada
Netherlands

How they compare

Netherlands currently reports 0.969 against 0.963 in Canada, a difference of 0.006.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 185 shared years of data; in 1841 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 17th and Netherlands ranks 14th of 173 countries.

Across the 19 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 2 and Netherlands in 17.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Canada	Netherlands	Difference	Ahead
1840s	0.929	0.7682	0.1608	Canada
1850s	0.929	0.969	0.04	Netherlands
1860s	0.929	0.969	0.04	Netherlands
1870s	0.929	0.969	0.04	Netherlands
1880s	0.929	0.969	0.04	Netherlands
1890s	0.929	0.969	0.04	Netherlands
1900s	0.93	0.969	0.039	Netherlands
1910s	0.94	0.969	0.029	Netherlands
1920s	0.94	0.969	0.029	Netherlands
1930s	0.9402	0.969	0.0288	Netherlands
1940s	0.9423	0.9407	0.0016	Canada
1950s	0.956	0.9828	0.0268	Netherlands
1960s	0.9647	0.985	0.0203	Netherlands
1970s	0.97	0.9848	0.0148	Netherlands
1980s	0.9754	0.984	0.0086	Netherlands
1990s	0.977	0.984	0.007	Netherlands
2000s	0.9776	0.9845	0.0069	Netherlands
2010s	0.9805	0.9831	0.0026	Netherlands
2020s	0.9638	0.9778	0.014	Netherlands

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Canada or Netherlands?: Netherlands, at 0.969 against 0.963 in Canada as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Canada and Netherlands?: 0.006, with Netherlands ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and Netherlands?: 185 years are reported by both, from 1841 to 2025.
How do Canada and Netherlands rank globally for rule of law index?: Canada ranks 17th and Netherlands ranks 14th 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.