Rule of Law Index in Barbados
Barbados: Rule of Law Index was 0.927 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.927
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
28th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.932
in 2023
All-time low
0.845
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Rule of Law Index in Barbados, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rule of law index in Barbados is 0.927, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Barbados peaked at 0.932 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.845, in 1900.
That places Barbados 28th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.845 | — |
| 1901 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.845 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.846 | +0.1% |
| 1929 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.846 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.85 | +0.5% |
| 1941 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.85 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.854 | +0.5% |
| 1948 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.854 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.89 | +4.2% |
| 1957 | 0.89 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.898 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.893 | -0.6% |
| 1961 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.893 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.906 | +1.5% |
| 1967 | 0.913 | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.913 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.919 | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.919 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.923 | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 0.923 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.916 | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.916 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.911 | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.911 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.91 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.91 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.905 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.905 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.899 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 0.899 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.9 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 0.91 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.921 | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.921 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.929 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.929 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.932 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 0.927 | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 0.927 | +0.0% |
Barbados compared with similar countries
- Barbados's 0.927 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.927, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Barbados's 0.927 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.577, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.845 | 0.845 | 0.845 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.845 | 0.845 | 0.845 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.8452 | 0.845 | 0.846 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.846 | 0.846 | 0.846 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8512 | 0.85 | 0.854 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.87 | 0.854 | 0.898 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.9003 | 0.893 | 0.913 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.919 | 0.919 | 0.919 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.9174 | 0.916 | 0.923 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9102 | 0.91 | 0.911 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.91 | 0.91 | 0.91 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9054 | 0.899 | 0.921 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.9275 | 0.921 | 0.932 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
- 26 Costa Rica 0.935 compare
- 27 Austria 0.932 compare
- 29 United States 0.924 compare
- 30 Lithuania 0.92 compare
- 31 South Korea 0.917 compare
- 31 Taiwan 0.917 compare
More reference data data for Barbados
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0268 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0217 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0558 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0558 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0377 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.118 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2758 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Barbados?
- Rule of law index in Barbados was 0.927 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 0.932 in 2023.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.845 in 1900.
- How does Barbados rank for rule of law index?
- Barbados ranks 28th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.