Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rule of Law - Governance estimate in Sri Lanka, 1996–2025
Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 for rule of law - governance estimate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 27.1% on the previous year and down 146.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law - governance estimate in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.2392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002 and was at its lowest, -0.3277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2023.
That places Sri Lanka 113th out of 208 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka, year by year
| Year | approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.087 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | — |
| 1998 | -0.1374 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -257.8% |
| 2000 | -0.0155 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -88.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -1641.3% |
| 2003 | 0.1985 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -17.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1796 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -9.6% |
| 2005 | 0.1318 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -26.6% |
| 2006 | 0.107 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -18.8% |
| 2007 | 0.0468 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -56.3% |
| 2008 | -0.1399 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -399.2% |
| 2009 | -0.1173 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -16.2% |
| 2010 | -0.2054 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +75.1% |
| 2011 | -0.2666 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +29.8% |
| 2012 | -0.1247 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -53.2% |
| 2013 | -0.3269 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +162.1% |
| 2014 | -0.3033 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -7.2% |
| 2015 | -0.0842 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -72.2% |
| 2016 | -0.0716 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -15.0% |
| 2017 | -0.0782 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +9.2% |
| 2018 | -0.0296 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -62.2% |
| 2019 | -0.048 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +62.2% |
| 2020 | -0.1788 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +272.7% |
| 2021 | -0.2185 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +22.2% |
| 2022 | -0.3219 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +47.3% |
| 2023 | -0.3277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | -0.2845 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -13.2% |
| 2025 | -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -27.1% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is -0.2155 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 96% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is below the median for South Asia, which is -0.1485 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.4× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rule of Law - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Sri Lanka changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +1641.3% | -0.0155 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.2392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
| 2008 | -399.2% | 0.0468 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1399 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | -0.0252 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1374 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.087 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1399 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 0.2392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 9 |
| 2010s | -0.1539 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.3269 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.0296 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.2565 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.3277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | -0.1788 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More reference data data for Sri Lanka
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1608 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.316 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1784 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.539 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1604 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9713 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law - governance estimate in Sri Lanka?
- Rule of law - governance estimate in Sri Lanka was -0.2073 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
- What is the highest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2002.
- What is the lowest rule of law - governance estimate recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.3277 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2023.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for rule of law - governance estimate?
- Sri Lanka ranks 113th out of 208 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law - governance estimate rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is down 146.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
- The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), 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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About this data
Rule of Law (RL) captures perceptions of the extent to which agents respect and follow the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police, courts, and the likelihood of crime and violence. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.