Which has higher rule of law index, Spain or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom, at 0.955 against 0.947 in Spain as of 2025.

What is the difference in rule of law index between Spain and United Kingdom?

0.008, with United Kingdom ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom?

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.

Spain vs United Kingdom: Rule of Law Index

Spain

0.947

in 2025

United Kingdom

0.955

in 2025

Spain rank

23rd

United Kingdom rank

21st

Rule of Law Index over time

Spain
United Kingdom

How they compare

United Kingdom currently reports 0.955 against 0.947 in Spain, a difference of 0.008.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 237 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United Kingdom ahead.

Spain ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 176 countries.

Across the 25 decades both report, Spain averaged higher in 4 and United Kingdom in 21.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Spain	United Kingdom	Difference	Ahead
1780s	0.318	0.673	0.355	United Kingdom
1790s	0.318	0.673	0.355	United Kingdom
1800s	0.3073	0.673	0.3657	United Kingdom
1810s	0.2648	0.673	0.4082	United Kingdom
1820s	0.2898	0.781	0.4912	United Kingdom
1830s	0.327	0.8148	0.4878	United Kingdom
1840s	0.392	0.822	0.43	United Kingdom
1850s	0.4416	0.8616	0.42	United Kingdom
1860s	0.4596	0.8759	0.4163	United Kingdom
1870s	0.534	0.937	0.403	United Kingdom
1880s	0.5492	0.9489	0.3997	United Kingdom
1890s	0.579	0.954	0.375	United Kingdom
1900s	0.579	0.963	0.384	United Kingdom
1910s	0.579	0.9621	0.3831	United Kingdom
1920s	0.4919	0.9662	0.4743	United Kingdom
1930s	0.6381	0.9677	0.3296	United Kingdom
1940s	0.4395	0.969	0.5295	United Kingdom
1950s	0.435	0.974	0.539	United Kingdom
1960s	0.455	0.9753	0.5203	United Kingdom
1970s	0.6195	0.979	0.3595	United Kingdom
1980s	0.987	0.979	0.008	Spain
1990s	0.987	0.9804	0.0066	Spain
2000s	0.9874	0.977	0.0104	Spain
2010s	0.9754	0.9771	0.0017	United Kingdom
2020s	0.9682	0.9603	0.0078	Spain

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rule of law index, Spain or United Kingdom?: United Kingdom, at 0.955 against 0.947 in Spain as of 2025.
What is the difference in rule of law index between Spain and United Kingdom?: 0.008, with United Kingdom ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Spain and United Kingdom?: 237 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
How do Spain and United Kingdom rank globally for rule of law index?: Spain ranks 23rd and United Kingdom ranks 21st of 176 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.

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Spain vs United Kingdom: Rule of Law Index. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/rule-of-law-index/spain/united-kingdom/

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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: 18 September 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.