Rule of Law Index in Guatemala

Guatemala: Rule of Law Index was 0.695 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.695
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
66th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.695
in 2025
All-time low
0.065
in 1900
Years of data
236
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in Guatemala, 1789–2025

00.20.40.6178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Guatemala stood at 0.695. That is the highest value across all 236 years on record.

The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 62.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Guatemala peaked at 0.695 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.065, in 1900.

Guatemala ranks 66th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 236 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.353 0.353 0.353 1
1790s 0.311 0.311 0.311 10
1800s 0.311 0.311 0.311 10
1810s 0.3334 0.311 0.339 10
1820s 0.3079 0.269 0.339 9
1830s 0.271 0.238 0.304 10
1840s 0.2967 0.253 0.318 10
1850s 0.312 0.312 0.312 10
1860s 0.3228 0.312 0.339 10
1870s 0.1953 0.18 0.333 10
1880s 0.1896 0.18 0.204 10
1890s 0.1911 0.075 0.204 10
1900s 0.065 0.065 0.065 10
1910s 0.0672 0.067 0.069 10
1920s 0.1291 0.108 0.143 10
1930s 0.1596 0.13 0.166 10
1940s 0.3374 0.16 0.518 10
1950s 0.2926 0.122 0.496 10
1960s 0.1416 0.121 0.166 10
1970s 0.1256 0.089 0.14 10
1980s 0.16 0.085 0.245 10
1990s 0.3001 0.242 0.359 10
2000s 0.3522 0.328 0.372 10
2010s 0.3966 0.366 0.451 10
2020s 0.45 0.294 0.695 6

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 63 Lesotho 0.716 compare
  2. 64 Tanzania 0.712 compare
  3. 65 Malaysia 0.698 compare
  4. 67 Romania 0.694 compare
  5. 67 South Africa 0.694 compare
  6. 69 Panama 0.692 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Guatemala?
Rule of law index in Guatemala was 0.695 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 0.695 in 2025.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 0.065 in 1900.
How does Guatemala rank for rule of law index?
Guatemala ranks 66th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is up 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Guatemala 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 — 236 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.