Rule of Law - Governance estimate in New Zealand

New Zealand: Rule of Law - Governance estimate was 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
10th
of 208 countries
All-time high
1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2011
All-time low
1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2024
Years of data
26
1996–2024

Rule of Law - Governance estimate in New Zealand, 1996–2024

00.511.521996201020241996: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: 1.9 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: 1.9 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: 1.9 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: 1.7 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: World Bank. Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for rule of law - governance estimate in New Zealand is 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law - governance estimate in New Zealand peaked at 1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2024.

New Zealand ranks 10th of 208 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Rule of Law - Governance estimate in New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in New Zealand, 1996 to 2024.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
1998 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2000 1.84 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.9%
2002 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2003 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.1%
2004 1.78 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.8%
2005 1.79 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.8%
2006 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.9%
2007 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.1%
2008 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +1.2%
2009 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.1%
2010 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.9%
2011 1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +5.1%
2012 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.9%
2013 1.77 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -3.1%
2014 1.81 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +2.2%
2015 1.86 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +2.4%
2016 1.87 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.5%
2017 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.5%
2018 1.8 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.0%
2019 1.78 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.0%
2020 1.77 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -1.0%
2021 1.73 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.1%
2022 1.72 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.5%
2023 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.8%
2024 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -2.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.83 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.78 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.84 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s 1.82 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.77 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s 1.72 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 1.77 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 5

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 7 Sweden 1.73 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 8 Netherlands 1.71 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 9 Austria 1.68 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 11 Iceland 1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 12 Germany 1.63 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 13 Ireland 1.59 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 208 places →

More reference data data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law - governance estimate in New Zealand?
Rule of law - governance estimate in New Zealand was 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 1.89 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2011.
What is the lowest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 1.67 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2024.
How does New Zealand rank for rule of law - governance estimate?
New Zealand ranks 10th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
Is rule of law - governance estimate rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Rule of Law - Governance estimate in New Zealand. Statizoid. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rule-of-law-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5-2/new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
208 places, 5,320 data points, 1996–2024
Last refreshed