Which has higher rule of law index, Denmark or Ireland?

Denmark, at 0.997 against 0.983 in Ireland as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Ireland?

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.

Denmark vs Ireland: Rule of Law Index

Denmark

0.997

in 2025

Ireland

0.983

in 2025

Denmark rank

1st

Ireland rank

1st

Rule of Law Index over time

Denmark
Ireland

How they compare

Denmark currently reports 0.997 against 0.983 in Ireland, a difference of 0.014.

Across all 237 years both countries report, Denmark has been ahead every year.

Denmark ranks 1st and Ireland ranks 1st of 173 countries.

Denmark has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Denmark	Ireland	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.991	0.673	0.318	Denmark
1790s	0.991	0.673	0.318	Denmark
1800s	0.991	0.673	0.318	Denmark
1810s	0.991	0.673	0.318	Denmark
1820s	0.991	0.781	0.21	Denmark
1830s	0.991	0.8148	0.1762	Denmark
1840s	0.991	0.822	0.169	Denmark
1850s	0.9912	0.8616	0.1296	Denmark
1860s	0.992	0.8759	0.1161	Denmark
1870s	0.992	0.937	0.055	Denmark
1880s	0.9916	0.9489	0.0427	Denmark
1890s	0.9915	0.954	0.0375	Denmark
1900s	0.9922	0.963	0.0292	Denmark
1910s	0.994	0.9563	0.0377	Denmark
1920s	0.9959	0.9358	0.0601	Denmark
1930s	0.997	0.9598	0.0372	Denmark
1940s	0.9907	0.9573	0.0334	Denmark
1950s	0.998	0.9618	0.0362	Denmark
1960s	0.998	0.959	0.039	Denmark
1970s	0.998	0.9557	0.0423	Denmark
1980s	0.998	0.9509	0.0471	Denmark
1990s	0.998	0.9578	0.0402	Denmark
2000s	0.998	0.9685	0.0295	Denmark
2010s	0.998	0.9785	0.0195	Denmark
2020s	0.9972	0.9823	0.0148	Denmark

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Denmark or Ireland?: Denmark, at 0.997 against 0.983 in Ireland as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Denmark and Ireland?: 0.014, with Denmark ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Denmark and Ireland?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Denmark and Ireland rank globally for rule of law index?: Denmark ranks 1st and Ireland ranks 1st 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.