Rule of Law Index in Cameroon
Cameroon: Rule of Law Index was 0.086 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rule of Law Index in Cameroon, 1961–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, rule of law index in Cameroon stood at 0.086.
The figure is down 8.5% on the previous year and down 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Cameroon peaked at 0.242 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.072, in 2019.
Cameroon ranks 160th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.242 | — |
| 1962 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.242 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.24 | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 0.231 | -3.7% |
| 1974 | 0.227 | -1.7% |
| 1975 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.227 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.224 | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 0.197 | -12.1% |
| 1981 | 0.188 | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 0.181 | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 0.179 | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 0.185 | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 0.168 | -9.2% |
| 1986 | 0.161 | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 0.158 | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.139 | -12.0% |
| 1991 | 0.127 | -8.6% |
| 1992 | 0.127 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.103 | -18.9% |
| 1994 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.104 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 0.102 | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 0.105 | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 0.104 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.104 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.102 | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 0.102 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1 | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 0.1 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.099 | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.104 | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 0.102 | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 0.098 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.098 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.097 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.08 | -17.5% |
| 2017 | 0.082 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 0.077 | -6.1% |
| 2019 | 0.072 | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 0.087 | +20.8% |
| 2021 | 0.095 | +9.2% |
| 2022 | 0.113 | +18.9% |
| 2023 | 0.077 | -31.9% |
| 2024 | 0.094 | +22.1% |
| 2025 | 0.086 | -8.5% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 0.086 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 25% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 0.086 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 23% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rule of Law Index in Cameroon 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | -31.9% | 0.113 | 0.077 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.242 | 0.242 | 0.242 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2314 | 0.224 | 0.242 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1733 | 0.158 | 0.197 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1118 | 0.102 | 0.139 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1023 | 0.099 | 0.104 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0909 | 0.072 | 0.104 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.092 | 0.077 | 0.113 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 157 Belarus 0.116 compare
- 158 Democratic Republic of Congo 0.108 compare
- 159 Guinea 0.106 compare
- 161 Afghanistan 0.084 compare
- 162 Burundi 0.083 compare
- 163 El Salvador 0.082 compare
More reference data data for Cameroon
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4076 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 17.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 23.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.08 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Cameroon?
- Rule of law index in Cameroon was 0.086 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 0.242 in 1961.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.072 in 2019.
- How does Cameroon rank for rule of law index?
- Cameroon ranks 160th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon 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 — 65 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.