Rule of Law Index in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Rule of Law Index was 0.315 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.315
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
120th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.368
in 2020
All-time low
0.076
in 1789
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in Ethiopia, 1789–2025

0.10.20.30.4178919072025

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

Analysis

Ethiopia recorded 0.315 for rule of law index in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Ethiopia peaked at 0.368 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.076, in 1789.

Ethiopia ranks 120th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.076 0.076 0.076 1
1790s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1800s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1810s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1820s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1830s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1840s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1850s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1860s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1870s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1880s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1890s 0.076 0.076 0.076 10
1900s 0.083 0.083 0.083 10
1910s 0.0845 0.083 0.088 10
1920s 0.088 0.088 0.088 10
1930s 0.0914 0.088 0.094 10
1940s 0.1231 0.089 0.133 10
1950s 0.124 0.122 0.126 10
1960s 0.1248 0.122 0.132 10
1970s 0.1475 0.128 0.164 10
1980s 0.1765 0.172 0.187 10
1990s 0.3135 0.202 0.351 10
2000s 0.3222 0.317 0.342 10
2010s 0.3283 0.31 0.357 10
2020s 0.3308 0.292 0.368 6

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 117 Indonesia 0.338 compare
  2. 118 Egypt 0.321 compare
  3. 119 Vietnam 0.319 compare
  4. 121 Bangladesh 0.311 compare
  5. 123 Mozambique 0.29 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Ethiopia?
Rule of law index in Ethiopia was 0.315 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 0.368 in 2020.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.076 in 1789.
How does Ethiopia rank for rule of law index?
Ethiopia ranks 120th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Ethiopia 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 — 237 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

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.