What is rule of law index in Malawi?

Rule of law index in Malawi was 0.567 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Malawi?

The highest recorded value was 0.656 in 2021.

What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Malawi?

The lowest recorded value was 0.339 in 1900.

How does Malawi rank for rule of law index?

Malawi ranks 86th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.

Is rule of law index rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Malawi 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.

Rule of Law Index in Malawi

Name: Rule of Law Index in Malawi
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Rule of Law Index was 0.567 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.567

Change on year

down 0.7%

World rank

86th

of 173 countries

All-time high

0.656

in 2021

All-time low

0.339

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Rule of Law Index in Malawi, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for rule of law index in Malawi is 0.567, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Malawi peaked at 0.656 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.339, in 1900.

Malawi ranks 86th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.339	0.339	0.339	10
1910s	0.3502	0.339	0.353	10
1920s	0.3518	0.351	0.353	10
1930s	0.351	0.351	0.351	10
1940s	0.3492	0.348	0.351	10
1950s	0.353	0.348	0.358	10
1960s	0.5048	0.343	0.628	10
1970s	0.6033	0.603	0.606	10
1980s	0.603	0.603	0.603	10
1990s	0.5465	0.43	0.619	10
2000s	0.5414	0.533	0.553	10
2010s	0.5298	0.504	0.582	10
2020s	0.6077	0.567	0.656	6

Countries ranked near Malawi

83 Argentina 0.577 compare
84 Qatar 0.573 compare
85 Ghana 0.568 compare
87 Dominican Republic 0.564 compare
88 Bulgaria 0.56 compare
89 Georgia 0.543 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malawi

Spring temperature anomalies -0.0372 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.606 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.3659 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.9529 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies -0.5269 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 1,313 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Malawi?: Rule of law index in Malawi was 0.567 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 0.656 in 2021.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 0.339 in 1900.
How does Malawi rank for rule of law index?: Malawi ranks 86th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Malawi 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 — 126 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: 07 August 2026

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.