What is rule of law index in Nigeria?

Rule of law index in Nigeria was 0.289 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

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

The highest recorded value was 0.299 in 2017.

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

The lowest recorded value was 0.143 in 1968.

How does Nigeria rank for rule of law index?

Nigeria ranks 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.

Is rule of law index rising or falling in Nigeria?

Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Nigeria 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 Nigeria

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

Nigeria: Rule of Law Index was 0.289 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.289

Change on year

up 21.4%

World rank

124th

of 173 countries

All-time high

0.299

in 2017

All-time low

0.143

in 1968

Years of data

112

1914–2025

Rule of Law Index in Nigeria, 1914–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Nigeria stood at 0.289.

That represents a change of up 21.4% on the previous year and up 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Nigeria peaked at 0.299 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.143, in 1968.

That places Nigeria 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 112 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1910s	0.151	0.151	0.151	6
1920s	0.151	0.151	0.151	10
1930s	0.151	0.151	0.151	10
1940s	0.1535	0.151	0.156	10
1950s	0.1645	0.156	0.197	10
1960s	0.1987	0.143	0.227	10
1970s	0.1692	0.143	0.183	10
1980s	0.1724	0.156	0.186	10
1990s	0.1648	0.153	0.229	10
2000s	0.234	0.229	0.248	10
2010s	0.2611	0.231	0.299	10
2020s	0.2492	0.224	0.289	6

Countries ranked near Nigeria

121 Bangladesh 0.311 compare
122 Djibouti 0.295 compare
123 Mozambique 0.29 compare
124 Lebanon 0.289 compare
126 Syria 0.282 compare
127 Bolivia 0.281 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Nigeria

Spring temperature anomalies 0.3216 °C (2026)
Summer temperature anomalies 0.3105 °C (2026)
Temperature anomalies by month 1.8 °C (2026)
Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
Autumn temperature anomalies 0.4187 °C (2025)
Winter temperature anomalies 1.76 °C (2025)
Consumer price index 860.32 2010 = 100 (2025)
Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
Competitive elections 0 (2025)
Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Nigeria?: Rule of law index in Nigeria was 0.289 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Nigeria?: The highest recorded value was 0.299 in 2017.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Nigeria?: The lowest recorded value was 0.143 in 1968.
How does Nigeria rank for rule of law index?: Nigeria ranks 124th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Nigeria?: Over the last ten years it is up 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria 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 — 112 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.