Rule of Law Index in Nigeria

Nigeria: Rule of Law Index was 4.5 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
4.5
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
56th
of 128 countries
All-time high
5.75
in 2011
All-time low
4.5
in 2023
Years of data
11
2005–2025

Rule of Law Index in Nigeria, 2005–2025

02462005201520252005: 5.22007: 5.52009: 5.22011: 5.82013: 5.82015: 5.52017: 5.22019: 5.22021: 4.82023: 4.52025: 4.5

Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 4.5 for rule of law index in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Nigeria peaked at 5.75 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.5, in 2023.

Nigeria ranks 56th of 128 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 5.33 5.25 5.5 3
2010s 5.5 5.25 5.75 5
2020s 4.58 4.5 4.75 3

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 53 Bolivia 4.75 compare
  2. 53 Panama 4.75 compare
  3. 53 Serbia 4.75 compare
  4. 56 United Arab Emirates 4.5 compare
  5. 56 Zambia 4.5 compare
  6. 59 Georgia 4.25 compare
  7. 59 Jordan 4.25 compare
  8. 59 Kuwait 4.25 compare
  9. 59 Lebanon 4.25 compare
  10. 59 Madagascar 4.25 compare
  11. 59 Mauritania 4.25 compare
  12. 59 Mexico 4.25 compare
  13. 59 Philippines 4.25 compare

See the full ranking of 128 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Nigeria?
Rule of law index in Nigeria was 4.5 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 5.75 in 2011.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 4.5 in 2023.
How does Nigeria rank for rule of law index?
Nigeria ranks 56th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Nigeria data come from?
The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Rule of Law Index
Source
Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
128 places, 1,394 data points, 2005–2025
Last refreshed

Indicates the extent to which political power is separated, the judiciary is independent, office abuse is prosecuted, and civil rights are enforced.