Finland vs Sweden: Rule of law index
Finland
0.985
in 2025
Sweden
0.989
in 2025
Finland rank
8th
Sweden rank
5th
Rule of law index over time
- Finland
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 0.989 against 0.985 in Finland, a difference of 0.004.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.
Finland ranks 8th and Sweden ranks 5th of 173 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 25 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Finland | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.849 | 0.849 | 0 | — |
| 1790s | 0.849 | 0.849 | 0 | — |
| 1800s | 0.8461 | 0.8517 | 0.0056 | Sweden |
| 1810s | 0.82 | 0.876 | 0.056 | Sweden |
| 1820s | 0.82 | 0.876 | 0.056 | Sweden |
| 1830s | 0.82 | 0.876 | 0.056 | Sweden |
| 1840s | 0.82 | 0.897 | 0.077 | Sweden |
| 1850s | 0.82 | 0.918 | 0.098 | Sweden |
| 1860s | 0.82 | 0.963 | 0.143 | Sweden |
| 1870s | 0.82 | 0.963 | 0.143 | Sweden |
| 1880s | 0.82 | 0.974 | 0.154 | Sweden |
| 1890s | 0.7948 | 0.985 | 0.1902 | Sweden |
| 1900s | 0.7815 | 0.985 | 0.2035 | Sweden |
| 1910s | 0.8301 | 0.9851 | 0.155 | Sweden |
| 1920s | 0.9532 | 0.9868 | 0.0336 | Sweden |
| 1930s | 0.9585 | 0.9876 | 0.0291 | Sweden |
| 1940s | 0.9557 | 0.988 | 0.0323 | Sweden |
| 1950s | 0.987 | 0.991 | 0.004 | Sweden |
| 1960s | 0.989 | 0.9929 | 0.0039 | Sweden |
| 1970s | 0.9888 | 0.994 | 0.0052 | Sweden |
| 1980s | 0.9896 | 0.9948 | 0.0052 | Sweden |
| 1990s | 0.991 | 0.995 | 0.004 | Sweden |
| 2000s | 0.991 | 0.9946 | 0.0036 | Sweden |
| 2010s | 0.9916 | 0.9937 | 0.0021 | Sweden |
| 2020s | 0.9898 | 0.9912 | 0.0013 | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rule of law index, Finland or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 0.989 against 0.985 in Finland as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rule of law index between Finland and Sweden?
- 0.004, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Finland and Sweden?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Finland and Sweden rank globally for rule of law index?
- Finland ranks 8th and Sweden ranks 5th of 173 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.