Rule of Law Index in Laos

Laos: Rule of Law Index was 0.346 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.346
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
116th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.346
in 2020
All-time low
0.147
in 1789
Years of data
230
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in Laos, 1789–2025

00.10.20.3178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Laos stood at 0.346. That is the highest value across all 230 years on record.

That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 14.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Laos peaked at 0.346 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.147, in 1789.

Laos ranks 116th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 230 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.147 0.147 0.147 1
1790s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1800s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1810s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1820s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1830s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1840s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1850s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1860s 0.147 0.147 0.147 10
1870s 0.1631 0.147 0.17 10
1880s 0.17 0.17 0.17 10
1890s 0.18 0.18 0.18 3
1900s 0.261 0.261 0.261 10
1910s 0.261 0.261 0.261 10
1920s 0.261 0.261 0.261 10
1930s 0.261 0.261 0.261 10
1940s 0.2384 0.211 0.261 10
1950s 0.2193 0.194 0.252 10
1960s 0.181 0.181 0.181 10
1970s 0.2395 0.172 0.318 10
1980s 0.3133 0.304 0.318 10
1990s 0.3093 0.302 0.317 10
2000s 0.3078 0.307 0.309 10
2010s 0.3042 0.293 0.316 10
2020s 0.3208 0.297 0.346 6

Countries ranked near Laos

  1. 113 Liberia 0.36 compare
  2. 114 Mexico 0.355 compare
  3. 115 Kyrgyzstan 0.353 compare
  4. 117 Indonesia 0.338 compare
  5. 118 Egypt 0.321 compare
  6. 119 Vietnam 0.319 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Laos

All data for Laos →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Laos?
Rule of law index in Laos was 0.346 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Laos?
The highest recorded value was 0.346 in 2020.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Laos?
The lowest recorded value was 0.147 in 1789.
How does Laos rank for rule of law index?
Laos ranks 116th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Laos?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Laos 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 — 230 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.