France vs Japan: Rule of law index
France
0.967
in 2025
Japan
0.956
in 2025
France rank
15th
Japan rank
18th
Rule of law index over time
- France
- Japan
How they compare
France currently reports 0.967 against 0.956 in Japan, a difference of 0.011.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was France ahead.
France ranks 15th and Japan ranks 18th of 173 countries.
Across the 25 decades both report, France averaged higher in 22 and Japan in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | France | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.751 | 0.33 | 0.421 | France |
| 1790s | 0.707 | 0.33 | 0.377 | France |
| 1800s | 0.699 | 0.33 | 0.369 | France |
| 1810s | 0.7265 | 0.33 | 0.3965 | France |
| 1820s | 0.754 | 0.33 | 0.424 | France |
| 1830s | 0.753 | 0.33 | 0.423 | France |
| 1840s | 0.7663 | 0.33 | 0.4363 | France |
| 1850s | 0.7109 | 0.3338 | 0.3771 | France |
| 1860s | 0.7002 | 0.4743 | 0.2259 | France |
| 1870s | 0.8532 | 0.7473 | 0.1059 | France |
| 1880s | 0.863 | 0.7444 | 0.1186 | France |
| 1890s | 0.863 | 0.7778 | 0.0852 | France |
| 1900s | 0.8892 | 0.8546 | 0.0346 | France |
| 1910s | 0.8946 | 0.8479 | 0.0467 | France |
| 1920s | 0.896 | 0.8472 | 0.0488 | France |
| 1930s | 0.8968 | 0.846 | 0.0508 | France |
| 1940s | 0.7023 | 0.8722 | 0.1699 | Japan |
| 1950s | 0.9246 | 0.9451 | 0.0205 | Japan |
| 1960s | 0.9407 | 0.952 | 0.0113 | Japan |
| 1970s | 0.9596 | 0.9574 | 0.0022 | France |
| 1980s | 0.9637 | 0.9544 | 0.0093 | France |
| 1990s | 0.9644 | 0.9572 | 0.0072 | France |
| 2000s | 0.9662 | 0.96 | 0.0062 | France |
| 2010s | 0.967 | 0.9549 | 0.0121 | France |
| 2020s | 0.9638 | 0.958 | 0.0058 | France |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rule of law index, France or Japan?
- France, at 0.967 against 0.956 in Japan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rule of law index between France and Japan?
- 0.011, with France ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for France and Japan?
- 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do France and Japan rank globally for rule of law index?
- France ranks 15th and Japan ranks 18th 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.