Which has higher rule of law index, Germany or Sweden?

Germany, at 0.991 against 0.989 in Sweden as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Sweden?

191 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.

Germany vs Sweden: Rule of Law Index

Germany

0.991

in 2025

Sweden

0.989

in 2025

Germany rank

3rd

Sweden rank

5th

Rule of Law Index over time

Germany
Sweden

How they compare

Germany currently reports 0.991 against 0.989 in Sweden, a difference of 0.002.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 191 shared years of data; in 1789 it was Sweden ahead.

Germany ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 5th of 173 countries.

Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 21 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Germany	Sweden	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.638	0.849	0.211	Sweden
1790s	0.638	0.849	0.211	Sweden
1800s	0.638	0.8517	0.2137	Sweden
1810s	0.638	0.876	0.238	Sweden
1820s	0.638	0.876	0.238	Sweden
1830s	0.638	0.876	0.238	Sweden
1840s	0.6625	0.897	0.2345	Sweden
1850s	0.776	0.918	0.142	Sweden
1860s	0.7847	0.963	0.1783	Sweden
1870s	0.8365	0.963	0.1265	Sweden
1880s	0.84	0.974	0.134	Sweden
1890s	0.877	0.985	0.108	Sweden
1900s	0.8762	0.985	0.1088	Sweden
1910s	0.8643	0.9851	0.1208	Sweden
1920s	0.8898	0.9868	0.097	Sweden
1930s	0.4284	0.9876	0.5592	Sweden
1940s	0.201	0.988	0.787	Sweden
1990s	0.9938	0.995	0.0012	Sweden
2000s	0.993	0.9946	0.0016	Sweden
2010s	0.9929	0.9937	0.0008	Sweden
2020s	0.991	0.9912	0.0002	Sweden

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Germany or Sweden?: Germany, at 0.991 against 0.989 in Sweden as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Germany and Sweden?: 0.002, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and Sweden?: 191 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Germany and Sweden rank globally for rule of law index?: Germany ranks 3rd and Sweden ranks 5th 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.