Which has higher rule of law index, Lesotho or Malaysia?

Lesotho, at 0.716 against 0.698 in Malaysia as of 2025.

How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Malaysia?

126 years are reported by both, from 1900 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.

Lesotho vs Malaysia: Rule of Law Index

Lesotho

0.716

in 2025

Malaysia

0.698

in 2025

Lesotho rank

63rd

Malaysia rank

65th

Rule of Law Index over time

Lesotho
Malaysia

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 0.716 against 0.698 in Malaysia, a difference of 0.018.

The two have swapped places 6 times across 126 shared years of data; in 1900 it was Lesotho ahead.

Lesotho ranks 63rd and Malaysia ranks 65th of 173 countries.

Across the 13 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 9 and Malaysia in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Lesotho	Malaysia	Difference	Ahead
1900s	0.688	0.656	0.032	Lesotho
1910s	0.688	0.656	0.032	Lesotho
1920s	0.688	0.656	0.032	Lesotho
1930s	0.688	0.656	0.032	Lesotho
1940s	0.688	0.5355	0.1525	Lesotho
1950s	0.688	0.718	0.03	Malaysia
1960s	0.6867	0.7214	0.0347	Malaysia
1970s	0.3998	0.6472	0.2474	Malaysia
1980s	0.4298	0.4979	0.0681	Malaysia
1990s	0.597	0.4166	0.1804	Lesotho
2000s	0.5953	0.4264	0.1689	Lesotho
2010s	0.6203	0.5026	0.1177	Lesotho
2020s	0.6835	0.6673	0.0162	Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Lesotho or Malaysia?: Lesotho, at 0.716 against 0.698 in Malaysia as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Lesotho and Malaysia?: 0.018, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Malaysia?: 126 years are reported by both, from 1900 to 2025.
How do Lesotho and Malaysia rank globally for rule of law index?: Lesotho ranks 63rd and Malaysia ranks 65th 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.