What is rule of law index in Malaysia?

Rule of law index in Malaysia was 0.698 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.764 in 1956.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.371 in 1942.

How does Malaysia rank for rule of law index?

Malaysia ranks 65th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.

Is rule of law index rising or falling in Malaysia?

Over the last ten years it is up 58.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Malaysia 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 Malaysia

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

Malaysia: Rule of Law Index was 0.698 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)

0.698

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

65th

of 173 countries

All-time high

0.764

in 1956

All-time low

0.371

in 1942

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Rule of Law Index in Malaysia, 1900–2025

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

Analysis

Malaysia recorded 0.698 for rule of law index in 2025.

That represents a change of up 58.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Malaysia peaked at 0.764 in 1956 and was at its lowest, 0.371, in 1942.

Malaysia ranks 65th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.656	0.656	0.656	10
1910s	0.656	0.656	0.656	10
1920s	0.656	0.656	0.656	10
1930s	0.656	0.656	0.656	10
1940s	0.5355	0.371	0.691	10
1950s	0.718	0.691	0.764	10
1960s	0.7214	0.711	0.724	10
1970s	0.6472	0.645	0.656	10
1980s	0.4979	0.413	0.645	10
1990s	0.4166	0.41	0.428	10
2000s	0.4264	0.392	0.452	10
2010s	0.5026	0.434	0.72	10
2020s	0.6673	0.613	0.698	6

Countries ranked near Malaysia

62 East Timor 0.717 compare
63 Lesotho 0.716 compare
64 Tanzania 0.712 compare
66 Guatemala 0.695 compare
67 Romania 0.694 compare
67 South Africa 0.694 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Malaysia

Spring temperature anomalies 0.3171 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.4881 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 0.0702 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 0.4538 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 134.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 1 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Malaysia?: Rule of law index in Malaysia was 0.698 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Malaysia?: The highest recorded value was 0.764 in 1956.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Malaysia?: The lowest recorded value was 0.371 in 1942.
How does Malaysia rank for rule of law index?: Malaysia ranks 65th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Malaysia?: Over the last ten years it is up 58.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malaysia 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.