Which has higher rule of law index, Canada or United Kingdom?

Canada, at 0.963 against 0.955 in United Kingdom as of 2025.

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

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 United Kingdom: Rule of Law Index

Canada

0.963

in 2025

United Kingdom

0.955

in 2025

Canada rank

19th

United Kingdom rank

21st

Rule of Law Index over time

Canada
United Kingdom

How they compare

Canada currently reports 0.963 against 0.955 in United Kingdom, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 185 shared years of data; in 1841 it was Canada ahead.

Canada ranks 19th and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 176 countries.

Across the 19 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 6 and United Kingdom in 13.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Canada	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1840s	0.929	0.822	0.107	Canada
1850s	0.929	0.8616	0.0674	Canada
1860s	0.929	0.8759	0.0531	Canada
1870s	0.929	0.937	0.008	United Kingdom
1880s	0.929	0.9489	0.0199	United Kingdom
1890s	0.929	0.954	0.025	United Kingdom
1900s	0.93	0.963	0.033	United Kingdom
1910s	0.94	0.9621	0.0221	United Kingdom
1920s	0.94	0.9662	0.0262	United Kingdom
1930s	0.9402	0.9677	0.0275	United Kingdom
1940s	0.9423	0.969	0.0267	United Kingdom
1950s	0.956	0.974	0.018	United Kingdom
1960s	0.9647	0.9753	0.0106	United Kingdom
1970s	0.97	0.979	0.009	United Kingdom
1980s	0.9754	0.979	0.0036	United Kingdom
1990s	0.977	0.9804	0.0034	United Kingdom
2000s	0.9776	0.977	0.0006	Canada
2010s	0.9805	0.9771	0.0034	Canada
2020s	0.9638	0.9603	0.0035	Canada

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Canada or United Kingdom?: Canada, at 0.963 against 0.955 in United Kingdom as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Canada and United Kingdom?: 0.008, with Canada ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and United Kingdom?: 185 years are reported by both, from 1841 to 2025.
How do Canada and United Kingdom rank globally for rule of law index?: Canada ranks 19th and United Kingdom ranks 21st 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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Canada vs United Kingdom: 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/canada/united-kingdom/

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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.