Rule of Law Index in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Rule of Law Index was 0.511 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.511
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
97th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.557
in 1975
All-time low
0.289
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Rule of Law Index in Papua New Guinea, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rule of law index in Papua New Guinea is 0.511, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 3.4% on the previous year and up 8.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Papua New Guinea peaked at 0.557 in 1975 and was at its lowest, 0.289, in 1900.
Papua New Guinea ranks 97th of 176 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.
Rule of Law Index in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.289 | — |
| 1901 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.289 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.389 | +34.6% |
| 1946 | 0.528 | +35.7% |
| 1947 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.528 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.557 | +5.5% |
| 1976 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.557 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.527 | -5.4% |
| 2011 | 0.494 | -6.3% |
| 2012 | 0.48 | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 0.48 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.471 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.471 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.471 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.466 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 0.471 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.477 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 0.526 | +10.3% |
| 2021 | 0.47 | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 0.466 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 0.449 | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 0.494 | +10.0% |
| 2025 | 0.511 | +3.4% |
Papua New Guinea compared with similar countries
- Papua New Guinea's 0.511 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 1.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Papua New Guinea's 0.511 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.59, 87% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.289 | 0.289 | 0.289 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.289 | 0.289 | 0.289 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.289 | 0.289 | 0.289 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.289 | 0.289 | 0.289 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.3946 | 0.289 | 0.528 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.528 | 0.528 | 0.528 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.528 | 0.528 | 0.528 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5425 | 0.528 | 0.557 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.557 | 0.557 | 0.557 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.557 | 0.557 | 0.557 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.557 | 0.557 | 0.557 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4808 | 0.466 | 0.527 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.486 | 0.449 | 0.526 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More reference data data for Papua New Guinea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2042 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0498 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0007 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.3515 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6846 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.5295 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.2811 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0038 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Papua New Guinea?
- Rule of law index in Papua New Guinea was 0.511 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.557 in 1975.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.289 in 1900.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for rule of law index?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 97th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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
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.