Rule of Law Index in Hungary
Hungary: Rule of Law Index was 0.605 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.605
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
81st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.899
in 1991
All-time low
0.4
in 1945
Years of data
237
1789–2025
Rule of Law Index in Hungary, 1789–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Hungary recorded 0.605 for rule of law index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Hungary peaked at 0.899 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 0.4, in 1945.
Hungary ranks 81st of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Hungary, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1789 | 0.564 | — |
| 1790 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1791 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1792 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1793 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1794 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1795 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1796 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1797 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1798 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1799 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1800 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1801 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1802 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1803 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1804 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1805 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1806 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1807 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1808 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1809 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1810 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1811 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1812 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1813 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1814 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1815 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1816 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1817 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1818 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1819 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1820 | 0.58 | +2.8% |
| 1821 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1822 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1823 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1824 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1825 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1826 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1827 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1828 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1829 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1830 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1831 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1832 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1833 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1834 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1835 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1836 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1837 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1838 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1839 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1841 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1842 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1843 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1844 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1846 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1847 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1848 | 0.867 | +49.5% |
| 1849 | 0.828 | -4.5% |
| 1850 | 0.517 | -37.6% |
| 1851 | 0.509 | -1.5% |
| 1852 | 0.509 | +0.0% |
| 1853 | 0.509 | +0.0% |
| 1854 | 0.509 | +0.0% |
| 1855 | 0.509 | +0.0% |
| 1856 | 0.509 | +0.0% |
| 1857 | 0.565 | +11.0% |
| 1858 | 0.579 | +2.5% |
| 1859 | 0.579 | +0.0% |
| 1860 | 0.579 | +0.0% |
| 1861 | 0.578 | -0.2% |
| 1862 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 1863 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 1864 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 1866 | 0.578 | +0.0% |
| 1867 | 0.676 | +17.0% |
| 1868 | 0.676 | +0.0% |
| 1869 | 0.7 | +3.6% |
| 1870 | 0.695 | -0.7% |
| 1871 | 0.695 | +0.0% |
| 1872 | 0.695 | +0.0% |
| 1873 | 0.695 | +0.0% |
| 1874 | 0.695 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 0.689 | -0.9% |
| 1876 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1877 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1878 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1879 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1880 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1881 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1882 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1883 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1884 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1885 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1886 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1888 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1889 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1891 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1892 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1893 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1894 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1895 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1896 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1897 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1898 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1899 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1901 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.689 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.676 | -1.9% |
| 1906 | 0.676 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.684 | +1.2% |
| 1908 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.684 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.667 | -2.5% |
| 1919 | 0.456 | -31.6% |
| 1920 | 0.708 | +55.3% |
| 1921 | 0.745 | +5.2% |
| 1922 | 0.76 | +2.0% |
| 1923 | 0.772 | +1.6% |
| 1924 | 0.775 | +0.4% |
| 1925 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.775 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.778 | +0.4% |
| 1931 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.778 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.777 | -0.1% |
| 1936 | 0.777 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.772 | -0.6% |
| 1938 | 0.772 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.772 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.76 | -1.6% |
| 1941 | 0.766 | +0.8% |
| 1942 | 0.757 | -1.2% |
| 1943 | 0.747 | -1.3% |
| 1944 | 0.435 | -41.8% |
| 1945 | 0.4 | -8.0% |
| 1946 | 0.517 | +29.2% |
| 1947 | 0.54 | +4.4% |
| 1948 | 0.492 | -8.9% |
| 1949 | 0.458 | -6.9% |
| 1950 | 0.448 | -2.2% |
| 1951 | 0.462 | +3.1% |
| 1952 | 0.462 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.462 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.474 | +2.6% |
| 1955 | 0.485 | +2.3% |
| 1956 | 0.489 | +0.8% |
| 1957 | 0.493 | +0.8% |
| 1958 | 0.517 | +4.9% |
| 1959 | 0.512 | -1.0% |
| 1960 | 0.536 | +4.7% |
| 1961 | 0.537 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 0.552 | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 0.534 | -3.3% |
| 1964 | 0.564 | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.564 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.561 | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 0.561 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.554 | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.549 | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 0.549 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.549 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.549 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.547 | -0.4% |
| 1976 | 0.547 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.547 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.547 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.541 | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 0.545 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 0.545 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.545 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.536 | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 0.536 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.536 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.536 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.546 | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 0.55 | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 0.577 | +4.9% |
| 1990 | 0.884 | +53.2% |
| 1991 | 0.899 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 0.889 | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 0.893 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.898 | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.898 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.899 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.899 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.886 | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.881 | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.884 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.884 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.886 | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 0.886 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.879 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.861 | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.874 | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.874 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.88 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 0.795 | -9.7% |
| 2011 | 0.767 | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 0.737 | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.699 | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 0.692 | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 0.692 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.7 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 0.694 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.672 | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 0.667 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 0.634 | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 0.622 | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 0.577 | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 0.569 | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 0.585 | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 0.605 | +3.4% |
Hungary compared with similar countries
- Hungary's 0.605 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.927, 65% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Hungary's 0.605 is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 0.8365, 72% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1800s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1810s | 0.564 | 0.564 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1820s | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.58 | 10 |
| 1830s | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.58 | 10 |
| 1840s | 0.6335 | 0.58 | 0.867 | 10 |
| 1850s | 0.5294 | 0.509 | 0.579 | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.6099 | 0.578 | 0.7 | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.692 | 0.689 | 0.695 | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.689 | 0.689 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.689 | 0.689 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.6849 | 0.676 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.6595 | 0.456 | 0.684 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.7635 | 0.708 | 0.775 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.776 | 0.772 | 0.778 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.5872 | 0.4 | 0.766 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.4804 | 0.448 | 0.517 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.5537 | 0.534 | 0.564 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5479 | 0.541 | 0.554 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.5452 | 0.536 | 0.577 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8943 | 0.884 | 0.899 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.8789 | 0.861 | 0.886 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7115 | 0.667 | 0.795 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5987 | 0.569 | 0.634 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hungary
More reference data data for Hungary
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5538 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1724 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5679 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.86 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.6937 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 12.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 3.09 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Hungary?
- Rule of law index in Hungary was 0.605 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Hungary?
- The highest recorded value was 0.899 in 1991.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Hungary?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4 in 1945.
- How does Hungary rank for rule of law index?
- Hungary ranks 81st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Hungary?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hungary 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
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About this data
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.