What is rule of law index in Canada?

Rule of law index in Canada was 0.963 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Canada?

The highest recorded value was 0.982 in 2016.

What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Canada?

The lowest recorded value was 0.929 in 1841.

How does Canada rank for rule of law index?

Canada ranks 17th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.

Is rule of law index rising or falling in Canada?

Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Canada 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.

Rule of Law Index in Canada

Name: Rule of Law Index in Canada
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Canada: Rule of Law Index was 0.963 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.963

Change on year

down 0.1%

World rank

17th

of 173 countries

All-time high

0.982

in 2016

All-time low

0.929

in 1841

Years of data

185

1841–2025

Rule of Law Index in Canada, 1841–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Canada stood at 0.963.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Canada peaked at 0.982 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.929, in 1841.

That places Canada 17th out of 173 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 185 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1840s	0.929	0.929	0.929	9
1850s	0.929	0.929	0.929	10
1860s	0.929	0.929	0.929	10
1870s	0.929	0.929	0.929	10
1880s	0.929	0.929	0.929	10
1890s	0.929	0.929	0.929	10
1900s	0.93	0.929	0.934	10
1910s	0.94	0.934	0.944	10
1920s	0.94	0.939	0.944	10
1930s	0.9402	0.939	0.941	10
1940s	0.9423	0.941	0.954	10
1950s	0.956	0.956	0.956	10
1960s	0.9647	0.961	0.972	10
1970s	0.97	0.966	0.971	10
1980s	0.9754	0.971	0.979	10
1990s	0.977	0.977	0.977	10
2000s	0.9776	0.977	0.979	10
2010s	0.9805	0.977	0.982	10
2020s	0.9638	0.961	0.967	6

Countries ranked near Canada

14 Netherlands 0.969 compare
15 France 0.967 compare
16 Belgium 0.964 compare
18 Japan 0.956 compare
19 United Kingdom 0.955 compare
20 Chile 0.951 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Canada

Spring temperature anomalies -4.58 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 1.7 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 2.12 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 2.47 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies -2.57 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 140.97 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Canada?: Rule of law index in Canada was 0.963 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Canada?: The highest recorded value was 0.982 in 2016.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Canada?: The lowest recorded value was 0.929 in 1841.
How does Canada rank for rule of law index?: Canada ranks 17th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Canada?: Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Canada 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 — 185 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Rule of Law Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 30,303 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.