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Rule of law index in Eswatini

Eswatini: Rule of law index was 0.225 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.225
Change on year
down 11.8%
World rank
135th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.39
in 1967
All-time low
0.225
in 2025
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Rule of law index in Eswatini, 1900–2025

00.10.20.30.4190019622025

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for rule of law index in Eswatini is 0.225, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 126 years on record.

That represents a change of down 11.8% on the previous year and down 23.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Eswatini peaked at 0.39 in 1967 and was at its lowest, 0.225, in 2025.

Eswatini ranks 135th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.

Rule of law index in Eswatini, year by year

Year Value Change
1900 0.333 —
1901 0.333 +0.0%
1902 0.333 +0.0%
1903 0.333 +0.0%
1904 0.333 +0.0%
1905 0.333 +0.0%
1906 0.333 +0.0%
1907 0.333 +0.0%
1908 0.323 -3.0%
1909 0.347 +7.4%
1910 0.347 +0.0%
1911 0.347 +0.0%
1912 0.347 +0.0%
1913 0.347 +0.0%
1914 0.347 +0.0%
1915 0.347 +0.0%
1916 0.347 +0.0%
1917 0.347 +0.0%
1918 0.347 +0.0%
1919 0.347 +0.0%
1920 0.355 +2.3%
1921 0.355 +0.0%
1922 0.355 +0.0%
1923 0.355 +0.0%
1924 0.355 +0.0%
1925 0.355 +0.0%
1926 0.355 +0.0%
1927 0.355 +0.0%
1928 0.355 +0.0%
1929 0.355 +0.0%
1930 0.355 +0.0%
1931 0.355 +0.0%
1932 0.355 +0.0%
1933 0.355 +0.0%
1934 0.355 +0.0%
1935 0.355 +0.0%
1936 0.355 +0.0%
1937 0.355 +0.0%
1938 0.355 +0.0%
1939 0.355 +0.0%
1940 0.355 +0.0%
1941 0.355 +0.0%
1942 0.355 +0.0%
1943 0.355 +0.0%
1944 0.355 +0.0%
1945 0.355 +0.0%
1946 0.355 +0.0%
1947 0.355 +0.0%
1948 0.355 +0.0%
1949 0.355 +0.0%
1950 0.361 +1.7%
1951 0.361 +0.0%
1952 0.361 +0.0%
1953 0.361 +0.0%
1954 0.364 +0.8%
1955 0.364 +0.0%
1956 0.364 +0.0%
1957 0.364 +0.0%
1958 0.364 +0.0%
1959 0.364 +0.0%
1960 0.374 +2.7%
1961 0.374 +0.0%
1962 0.374 +0.0%
1963 0.374 +0.0%
1964 0.374 +0.0%
1965 0.374 +0.0%
1966 0.374 +0.0%
1967 0.39 +4.3%
1968 0.355 -9.0%
1969 0.379 +6.8%
1970 0.379 +0.0%
1971 0.365 -3.7%
1972 0.365 +0.0%
1973 0.384 +5.2%
1974 0.384 +0.0%
1975 0.384 +0.0%
1976 0.384 +0.0%
1977 0.384 +0.0%
1978 0.384 +0.0%
1979 0.384 +0.0%
1980 0.384 +0.0%
1981 0.384 +0.0%
1982 0.384 +0.0%
1983 0.36 -6.3%
1984 0.36 +0.0%
1985 0.36 +0.0%
1986 0.36 +0.0%
1987 0.36 +0.0%
1988 0.36 +0.0%
1989 0.36 +0.0%
1990 0.354 -1.7%
1991 0.354 +0.0%
1992 0.354 +0.0%
1993 0.354 +0.0%
1994 0.335 -5.4%
1995 0.335 +0.0%
1996 0.335 +0.0%
1997 0.335 +0.0%
1998 0.327 -2.4%
1999 0.327 +0.0%
2000 0.324 -0.9%
2001 0.324 +0.0%
2002 0.324 +0.0%
2003 0.324 +0.0%
2004 0.324 +0.0%
2005 0.284 -12.3%
2006 0.283 -0.4%
2007 0.283 +0.0%
2008 0.29 +2.5%
2009 0.29 +0.0%
2010 0.288 -0.7%
2011 0.28 -2.8%
2012 0.28 +0.0%
2013 0.295 +5.4%
2014 0.295 +0.0%
2015 0.295 +0.0%
2016 0.295 +0.0%
2017 0.324 +9.8%
2018 0.337 +4.0%
2019 0.321 -4.7%
2020 0.324 +0.9%
2021 0.29 -10.5%
2022 0.269 -7.2%
2023 0.251 -6.7%
2024 0.255 +1.6%
2025 0.225 -11.8%

Eswatini compared with similar countries

  • Eswatini's 0.225 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 64% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Eswatini's 0.225 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 61% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.3334 0.323 0.347 10
1910s 0.347 0.347 0.347 10
1920s 0.355 0.355 0.355 10
1930s 0.355 0.355 0.355 10
1940s 0.355 0.355 0.355 10
1950s 0.3628 0.361 0.364 10
1960s 0.3742 0.355 0.39 10
1970s 0.3797 0.365 0.384 10
1980s 0.3672 0.36 0.384 10
1990s 0.341 0.327 0.354 10
2000s 0.305 0.283 0.324 10
2010s 0.301 0.28 0.337 10
2020s 0.269 0.225 0.324 6

Countries ranked near Eswatini

  1. 132 Pakistan 0.261 compare
  2. 133 Algeria 0.25 compare
  3. 134 Bahrain 0.245 compare
  4. 136 Kazakhstan 0.217 compare
  5. 137 Uganda 0.214 compare
  6. 138 China 0.209 compare
  7. 138 Iran 0.209 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Eswatini

All data for Eswatini →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Eswatini?
Rule of law index in Eswatini was 0.225 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Eswatini?
The highest recorded value was 0.39 in 1967.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Eswatini?
The lowest recorded value was 0.225 in 2025.
How does Eswatini rank for rule of law index?
Eswatini ranks 135th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Eswatini?
Over the last ten years it is down 23.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Eswatini data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of law index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Rule of law index in Eswatini. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rule-of-law-index/eswatini/

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About this data

Indicator
Rule of law index
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 30,303 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed