Statizoid

Rule of Law Index in Nicaragua

Nicaragua: Rule of Law Index was 0.008 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
0.008
Change on year
up 14.3%
World rank
176th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.56
in 1995
All-time low
0.007
in 2024
Years of data
188
1838–2025

Rule of Law Index in Nicaragua, 1838–2025

00.20.40.6183819312025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Nicaragua stood at 0.008.

That represents a change of up 14.3% on the previous year and down 91.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Nicaragua peaked at 0.56 in 1995 and was at its lowest, 0.007, in 2024.

That places Nicaragua 176th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Rule of Law Index in Nicaragua, year by year

Year Value Change
1838 0.039 —
1839 0.039 +0.0%
1840 0.039 +0.0%
1841 0.039 +0.0%
1842 0.039 +0.0%
1843 0.039 +0.0%
1844 0.039 +0.0%
1845 0.039 +0.0%
1846 0.039 +0.0%
1847 0.039 +0.0%
1848 0.039 +0.0%
1849 0.039 +0.0%
1850 0.039 +0.0%
1851 0.039 +0.0%
1852 0.039 +0.0%
1853 0.039 +0.0%
1854 0.039 +0.0%
1855 0.039 +0.0%
1856 0.039 +0.0%
1857 0.039 +0.0%
1858 0.295 +656.4%
1859 0.295 +0.0%
1860 0.295 +0.0%
1861 0.295 +0.0%
1862 0.316 +7.1%
1863 0.316 +0.0%
1864 0.316 +0.0%
1865 0.316 +0.0%
1866 0.316 +0.0%
1867 0.316 +0.0%
1868 0.316 +0.0%
1869 0.316 +0.0%
1870 0.316 +0.0%
1871 0.316 +0.0%
1872 0.316 +0.0%
1873 0.316 +0.0%
1874 0.316 +0.0%
1875 0.316 +0.0%
1876 0.316 +0.0%
1877 0.316 +0.0%
1878 0.316 +0.0%
1879 0.316 +0.0%
1880 0.316 +0.0%
1881 0.316 +0.0%
1882 0.316 +0.0%
1883 0.316 +0.0%
1884 0.316 +0.0%
1885 0.316 +0.0%
1886 0.316 +0.0%
1887 0.316 +0.0%
1888 0.316 +0.0%
1889 0.316 +0.0%
1890 0.117 -63.0%
1891 0.117 +0.0%
1892 0.117 +0.0%
1893 0.106 -9.4%
1894 0.106 +0.0%
1895 0.106 +0.0%
1896 0.106 +0.0%
1897 0.106 +0.0%
1898 0.106 +0.0%
1899 0.106 +0.0%
1900 0.106 +0.0%
1901 0.106 +0.0%
1902 0.106 +0.0%
1903 0.106 +0.0%
1904 0.106 +0.0%
1905 0.106 +0.0%
1906 0.106 +0.0%
1907 0.106 +0.0%
1908 0.106 +0.0%
1909 0.106 +0.0%
1910 0.09 -15.1%
1911 0.088 -2.2%
1912 0.087 -1.1%
1913 0.085 -2.3%
1914 0.085 +0.0%
1915 0.085 +0.0%
1916 0.085 +0.0%
1917 0.085 +0.0%
1918 0.085 +0.0%
1919 0.085 +0.0%
1920 0.081 -4.7%
1921 0.081 +0.0%
1922 0.081 +0.0%
1923 0.081 +0.0%
1924 0.081 +0.0%
1925 0.081 +0.0%
1926 0.081 +0.0%
1927 0.081 +0.0%
1928 0.105 +29.6%
1929 0.105 +0.0%
1930 0.105 +0.0%
1931 0.105 +0.0%
1932 0.105 +0.0%
1933 0.051 -51.4%
1934 0.047 -7.8%
1935 0.047 +0.0%
1936 0.018 -61.7%
1937 0.019 +5.6%
1938 0.019 +0.0%
1939 0.019 +0.0%
1940 0.019 +0.0%
1941 0.019 +0.0%
1942 0.019 +0.0%
1943 0.019 +0.0%
1944 0.019 +0.0%
1945 0.019 +0.0%
1946 0.019 +0.0%
1947 0.019 +0.0%
1948 0.019 +0.0%
1949 0.019 +0.0%
1950 0.019 +0.0%
1951 0.019 +0.0%
1952 0.019 +0.0%
1953 0.019 +0.0%
1954 0.019 +0.0%
1955 0.018 -5.3%
1956 0.018 +0.0%
1957 0.018 +0.0%
1958 0.018 +0.0%
1959 0.018 +0.0%
1960 0.018 +0.0%
1961 0.018 +0.0%
1962 0.018 +0.0%
1963 0.018 +0.0%
1964 0.018 +0.0%
1965 0.018 +0.0%
1966 0.018 +0.0%
1967 0.018 +0.0%
1968 0.018 +0.0%
1969 0.018 +0.0%
1970 0.018 +0.0%
1971 0.018 +0.0%
1972 0.018 +0.0%
1973 0.018 +0.0%
1974 0.018 +0.0%
1975 0.018 +0.0%
1976 0.018 +0.0%
1977 0.018 +0.0%
1978 0.018 +0.0%
1979 0.063 +250.0%
1980 0.35 +455.6%
1981 0.35 +0.0%
1982 0.319 -8.9%
1983 0.319 +0.0%
1984 0.413 +29.5%
1985 0.358 -13.3%
1986 0.358 +0.0%
1987 0.315 -12.0%
1988 0.31 -1.6%
1989 0.31 +0.0%
1990 0.48 +54.8%
1991 0.531 +10.6%
1992 0.538 +1.3%
1993 0.555 +3.2%
1994 0.555 +0.0%
1995 0.56 +0.9%
1996 0.4 -28.6%
1997 0.272 -32.0%
1998 0.272 +0.0%
1999 0.25 -8.1%
2000 0.251 +0.4%
2001 0.299 +19.1%
2002 0.313 +4.7%
2003 0.313 +0.0%
2004 0.314 +0.3%
2005 0.314 +0.0%
2006 0.227 -27.7%
2007 0.141 -37.9%
2008 0.121 -14.2%
2009 0.121 +0.0%
2010 0.117 -3.3%
2011 0.117 +0.0%
2012 0.111 -5.1%
2013 0.092 -17.1%
2014 0.091 -1.1%
2015 0.091 +0.0%
2016 0.096 +5.5%
2017 0.083 -13.5%
2018 0.037 -55.4%
2019 0.032 -13.5%
2020 0.019 -40.6%
2021 0.015 -21.1%
2022 0.01 -33.3%
2023 0.013 +30.0%
2024 0.007 -46.2%
2025 0.008 +14.3%

Nicaragua compared with similar countries

  • Nicaragua's 0.008 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 2% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Nicaragua's 0.008 is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.577, 1% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1830s 0.039 0.039 0.039 2
1840s 0.039 0.039 0.039 10
1850s 0.0902 0.039 0.295 10
1860s 0.3118 0.295 0.316 10
1870s 0.316 0.316 0.316 10
1880s 0.316 0.316 0.316 10
1890s 0.1093 0.106 0.117 10
1900s 0.106 0.106 0.106 10
1910s 0.086 0.085 0.09 10
1920s 0.0858 0.081 0.105 10
1930s 0.0535 0.018 0.105 10
1940s 0.019 0.019 0.019 10
1950s 0.0185 0.018 0.019 10
1960s 0.018 0.018 0.018 10
1970s 0.0225 0.018 0.063 10
1980s 0.3402 0.31 0.413 10
1990s 0.4413 0.25 0.56 10
2000s 0.2414 0.121 0.314 10
2010s 0.0867 0.032 0.117 10
2020s 0.012 0.007 0.019 6

Countries ranked near Nicaragua

  1. 173 North Korea 0.033 compare
  2. 174 Chad 0.016 compare
  3. 175 Venezuela 0.009 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Nicaragua

All data for Nicaragua →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Nicaragua?
Rule of law index in Nicaragua was 0.008 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Nicaragua?
The highest recorded value was 0.56 in 1995.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Nicaragua?
The lowest recorded value was 0.007 in 2024.
How does Nicaragua rank for rule of law index?
Nicaragua ranks 176th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Nicaragua?
Over the last ten years it is down 91.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nicaragua 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.

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CSV · JSON — 188 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Relationships involving this indicator

Comparisons with other indicators across countries. Each was re-measured with population and national income held constant, so a relationship that only reflected country size is not listed here.

All correlations →

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Rule of Law Index in Nicaragua. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/rule-of-law-index/nicaragua/

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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.