Rule of Law Index in Netherlands

Netherlands: Rule of Law Index was 0.969 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.969
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
14th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.986
in 2019
All-time low
0.269
in 1795
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in Netherlands, 1789–2025

0.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for rule of law index in Netherlands is 0.969, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Netherlands peaked at 0.986 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.269, in 1795.

Netherlands ranks 14th of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.431 0.431 0.431 1
1790s 0.354 0.269 0.431 10
1800s 0.3019 0.283 0.304 10
1810s 0.5862 0.304 0.7 10
1820s 0.7 0.7 0.7 10
1830s 0.6688 0.652 0.673 10
1840s 0.763 0.716 0.969 10
1850s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1860s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1870s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1880s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1890s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1900s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1910s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1920s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1930s 0.969 0.969 0.969 10
1940s 0.9407 0.906 0.983 10
1950s 0.9828 0.981 0.983 10
1960s 0.985 0.985 0.985 10
1970s 0.9848 0.983 0.985 10
1980s 0.984 0.984 0.984 10
1990s 0.984 0.984 0.984 10
2000s 0.9845 0.982 0.985 10
2010s 0.9831 0.98 0.986 10
2020s 0.9778 0.969 0.983 6

Countries ranked near Netherlands

  1. 11 Seychelles 0.976 compare
  2. 12 Singapore 0.974 compare
  3. 13 Latvia 0.973 compare
  4. 15 France 0.967 compare
  5. 16 Belgium 0.964 compare
  6. 17 Canada 0.963 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Netherlands

All data for Netherlands →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Netherlands?
Rule of law index in Netherlands was 0.969 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Netherlands?
The highest recorded value was 0.986 in 2019.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Netherlands?
The lowest recorded value was 0.269 in 1795.
How does Netherlands rank for rule of law index?
Netherlands ranks 14th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Netherlands?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Netherlands 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 — 237 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.