What is rule of law index in El Salvador?

Rule of law index in El Salvador was 0.082 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest rule of law index recorded in El Salvador?

The highest recorded value was 0.485 in 2015.

What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in El Salvador?

The lowest recorded value was 0.082 in 2025.

How does El Salvador rank for rule of law index?

El Salvador ranks 163rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is rule of law index rising or falling in El Salvador?

Over the last ten years it is down 83.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this El Salvador 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 El Salvador

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

El Salvador: Rule of Law Index was 0.082 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.082

Change on year

down 8.9%

World rank

163rd

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.485

in 2015

All-time low

0.082

in 2025

Years of data

188

1838–2025

Rule of Law Index in El Salvador, 1838–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for rule of law index in El Salvador is 0.082, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 188 years on record.

That represents a change of down 8.9% on the previous year and down 83.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in El Salvador peaked at 0.485 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.082, in 2025.

El Salvador ranks 163rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 188 years of available data.

Rule of Law Index in El Salvador, year by year

Annual values for Rule of Law Index in El Salvador, 1838 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1838	0.152	—
1839	0.152	+0.0%
1840	0.171	+12.5%
1841	0.171	+0.0%
1842	0.171	+0.0%
1843	0.171	+0.0%
1844	0.171	+0.0%
1845	0.171	+0.0%
1846	0.171	+0.0%
1847	0.171	+0.0%
1848	0.171	+0.0%
1849	0.171	+0.0%
1850	0.171	+0.0%
1851	0.171	+0.0%
1852	0.171	+0.0%
1853	0.171	+0.0%
1854	0.171	+0.0%
1855	0.171	+0.0%
1856	0.182	+6.4%
1857	0.182	+0.0%
1858	0.182	+0.0%
1859	0.182	+0.0%
1860	0.182	+0.0%
1861	0.182	+0.0%
1862	0.182	+0.0%
1863	0.182	+0.0%
1864	0.182	+0.0%
1865	0.182	+0.0%
1866	0.182	+0.0%
1867	0.182	+0.0%
1868	0.182	+0.0%
1869	0.182	+0.0%
1870	0.182	+0.0%
1871	0.182	+0.0%
1872	0.182	+0.0%
1873	0.182	+0.0%
1874	0.182	+0.0%
1875	0.182	+0.0%
1876	0.182	+0.0%
1877	0.182	+0.0%
1878	0.182	+0.0%
1879	0.182	+0.0%
1880	0.182	+0.0%
1881	0.182	+0.0%
1882	0.182	+0.0%
1883	0.182	+0.0%
1884	0.182	+0.0%
1885	0.182	+0.0%
1886	0.182	+0.0%
1887	0.182	+0.0%
1888	0.182	+0.0%
1889	0.182	+0.0%
1890	0.182	+0.0%
1891	0.182	+0.0%
1892	0.182	+0.0%
1893	0.182	+0.0%
1894	0.182	+0.0%
1895	0.182	+0.0%
1896	0.182	+0.0%
1897	0.182	+0.0%
1898	0.182	+0.0%
1899	0.182	+0.0%
1900	0.182	+0.0%
1901	0.182	+0.0%
1902	0.182	+0.0%
1903	0.182	+0.0%
1904	0.182	+0.0%
1905	0.182	+0.0%
1906	0.182	+0.0%
1907	0.182	+0.0%
1908	0.182	+0.0%
1909	0.182	+0.0%
1910	0.182	+0.0%
1911	0.182	+0.0%
1912	0.182	+0.0%
1913	0.182	+0.0%
1914	0.182	+0.0%
1915	0.182	+0.0%
1916	0.182	+0.0%
1917	0.182	+0.0%
1918	0.182	+0.0%
1919	0.182	+0.0%
1920	0.17	-6.6%
1921	0.17	+0.0%
1922	0.17	+0.0%
1923	0.17	+0.0%
1924	0.17	+0.0%
1925	0.17	+0.0%
1926	0.17	+0.0%
1927	0.18	+5.9%
1928	0.18	+0.0%
1929	0.18	+0.0%
1930	0.201	+11.7%
1931	0.141	-29.9%
1932	0.087	-38.3%
1933	0.086	-1.1%
1934	0.086	+0.0%
1935	0.086	+0.0%
1936	0.086	+0.0%
1937	0.086	+0.0%
1938	0.086	+0.0%
1939	0.086	+0.0%
1940	0.09	+4.7%
1941	0.09	+0.0%
1942	0.09	+0.0%
1943	0.09	+0.0%
1944	0.09	+0.0%
1945	0.124	+37.8%
1946	0.124	+0.0%
1947	0.124	+0.0%
1948	0.124	+0.0%
1949	0.142	+14.5%
1950	0.147	+3.5%
1951	0.147	+0.0%
1952	0.147	+0.0%
1953	0.147	+0.0%
1954	0.147	+0.0%
1955	0.147	+0.0%
1956	0.147	+0.0%
1957	0.147	+0.0%
1958	0.147	+0.0%
1959	0.147	+0.0%
1960	0.135	-8.2%
1961	0.135	+0.0%
1962	0.144	+6.7%
1963	0.144	+0.0%
1964	0.144	+0.0%
1965	0.144	+0.0%
1966	0.144	+0.0%
1967	0.144	+0.0%
1968	0.144	+0.0%
1969	0.144	+0.0%
1970	0.138	-4.2%
1971	0.137	-0.7%
1972	0.111	-19.0%
1973	0.106	-4.5%
1974	0.106	+0.0%
1975	0.106	+0.0%
1976	0.106	+0.0%
1977	0.106	+0.0%
1978	0.106	+0.0%
1979	0.114	+7.5%
1980	0.134	+17.5%
1981	0.134	+0.0%
1982	0.134	+0.0%
1983	0.134	+0.0%
1984	0.124	-7.5%
1985	0.124	+0.0%
1986	0.124	+0.0%
1987	0.124	+0.0%
1988	0.124	+0.0%
1989	0.14	+12.9%
1990	0.149	+6.4%
1991	0.147	-1.3%
1992	0.291	+98.0%
1993	0.345	+18.6%
1994	0.358	+3.8%
1995	0.358	+0.0%
1996	0.358	+0.0%
1997	0.358	+0.0%
1998	0.351	-2.0%
1999	0.351	+0.0%
2000	0.389	+10.8%
2001	0.389	+0.0%
2002	0.391	+0.5%
2003	0.388	-0.8%
2004	0.362	-6.7%
2005	0.356	-1.7%
2006	0.361	+1.4%
2007	0.361	+0.0%
2008	0.375	+3.9%
2009	0.396	+5.6%
2010	0.407	+2.8%
2011	0.407	+0.0%
2012	0.418	+2.7%
2013	0.469	+12.2%
2014	0.48	+2.3%
2015	0.485	+1.0%
2016	0.475	-2.1%
2017	0.446	-6.1%
2018	0.387	-13.2%
2019	0.399	+3.1%
2020	0.31	-22.3%
2021	0.151	-51.3%
2022	0.129	-14.6%
2023	0.109	-15.5%
2024	0.09	-17.4%
2025	0.082	-8.9%

El Salvador compared with similar countries

El Salvador's 0.082 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4345, 19% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
El Salvador's 0.082 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.577, 14% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1830s	0.152	0.152	0.152	2
1840s	0.171	0.171	0.171	10
1850s	0.1754	0.171	0.182	10
1860s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1870s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1880s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1890s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1900s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1910s	0.182	0.182	0.182	10
1920s	0.173	0.17	0.18	10
1930s	0.1031	0.086	0.201	10
1940s	0.1088	0.09	0.142	10
1950s	0.147	0.147	0.147	10
1960s	0.1422	0.135	0.144	10
1970s	0.1136	0.106	0.138	10
1980s	0.1296	0.124	0.14	10
1990s	0.3066	0.147	0.358	10
2000s	0.3768	0.356	0.396	10
2010s	0.4373	0.387	0.485	10
2020s	0.1452	0.082	0.31	6

Countries ranked near El Salvador

160 Cameroon 0.086 compare
161 Afghanistan 0.084 compare
162 Burundi 0.083 compare
164 South Sudan 0.076 compare
165 Cambodia 0.068 compare
166 Yemen 0.065 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for El Salvador

Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2714 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6267 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.78 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0909 (2050)
Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.78 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.91 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.3176 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.5 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.5 (2050)
Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4948 (2050)

All data for El Salvador →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in El Salvador?: Rule of law index in El Salvador was 0.082 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in El Salvador?: The highest recorded value was 0.485 in 2015.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in El Salvador?: The lowest recorded value was 0.082 in 2025.
How does El Salvador rank for rule of law index?: El Salvador ranks 163rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in El Salvador?: Over the last ten years it is down 83.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this El Salvador 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.

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Rule of Law Index in El Salvador. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rule-of-law-index/el-salvador/

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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: 18 September 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.