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Rule of Law Index in South Sudan

South Sudan: Rule of Law Index was 0.076 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.076
Change on year
down 33.9%
World rank
164th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.63
in 1953
All-time low
0.042
in 2018
Years of data
190
1821–2025

Rule of Law Index in South Sudan, 1821–2025

00.20.40.6182119232025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in South Sudan stood at 0.076.

The figure is down 33.9% on the previous year and up 46.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in South Sudan peaked at 0.63 in 1953 and was at its lowest, 0.042, in 2018.

South Sudan ranks 164th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 190 years of available data.

Rule of Law Index in South Sudan, year by year

Year Value Change
1821 0.358 —
1822 0.358 +0.0%
1823 0.358 +0.0%
1824 0.358 +0.0%
1825 0.358 +0.0%
1826 0.358 +0.0%
1827 0.358 +0.0%
1828 0.358 +0.0%
1829 0.358 +0.0%
1830 0.358 +0.0%
1831 0.358 +0.0%
1832 0.358 +0.0%
1833 0.358 +0.0%
1834 0.358 +0.0%
1835 0.358 +0.0%
1836 0.358 +0.0%
1837 0.358 +0.0%
1838 0.358 +0.0%
1839 0.358 +0.0%
1840 0.358 +0.0%
1841 0.358 +0.0%
1842 0.358 +0.0%
1843 0.358 +0.0%
1844 0.358 +0.0%
1845 0.358 +0.0%
1846 0.358 +0.0%
1847 0.358 +0.0%
1848 0.358 +0.0%
1849 0.407 +13.7%
1850 0.407 +0.0%
1851 0.375 -7.9%
1852 0.375 +0.0%
1853 0.375 +0.0%
1854 0.375 +0.0%
1855 0.375 +0.0%
1856 0.375 +0.0%
1857 0.375 +0.0%
1858 0.375 +0.0%
1859 0.375 +0.0%
1860 0.362 -3.5%
1861 0.362 +0.0%
1862 0.362 +0.0%
1863 0.319 -11.9%
1864 0.319 +0.0%
1865 0.319 +0.0%
1866 0.329 +3.1%
1867 0.329 +0.0%
1868 0.329 +0.0%
1869 0.329 +0.0%
1870 0.329 +0.0%
1871 0.329 +0.0%
1872 0.329 +0.0%
1873 0.329 +0.0%
1874 0.329 +0.0%
1875 0.329 +0.0%
1876 0.329 +0.0%
1877 0.397 +20.7%
1878 0.397 +0.0%
1879 0.375 -5.5%
1880 0.428 +14.1%
1881 0.428 +0.0%
1882 0.496 +15.9%
1883 0.496 +0.0%
1884 0.496 +0.0%
1900 0.596 +20.2%
1901 0.606 +1.7%
1902 0.606 +0.0%
1903 0.606 +0.0%
1904 0.606 +0.0%
1905 0.606 +0.0%
1906 0.606 +0.0%
1907 0.606 +0.0%
1908 0.606 +0.0%
1909 0.606 +0.0%
1910 0.605 -0.2%
1911 0.605 +0.0%
1912 0.605 +0.0%
1913 0.605 +0.0%
1914 0.605 +0.0%
1915 0.605 +0.0%
1916 0.605 +0.0%
1917 0.605 +0.0%
1918 0.605 +0.0%
1919 0.605 +0.0%
1920 0.607 +0.3%
1921 0.607 +0.0%
1922 0.607 +0.0%
1923 0.607 +0.0%
1924 0.607 +0.0%
1925 0.607 +0.0%
1926 0.607 +0.0%
1927 0.607 +0.0%
1928 0.607 +0.0%
1929 0.609 +0.3%
1930 0.61 +0.2%
1931 0.61 +0.0%
1932 0.61 +0.0%
1933 0.61 +0.0%
1934 0.61 +0.0%
1935 0.61 +0.0%
1936 0.61 +0.0%
1937 0.61 +0.0%
1938 0.61 +0.0%
1939 0.61 +0.0%
1940 0.61 +0.0%
1941 0.61 +0.0%
1942 0.61 +0.0%
1943 0.61 +0.0%
1944 0.612 +0.3%
1945 0.612 +0.0%
1946 0.612 +0.0%
1947 0.612 +0.0%
1948 0.612 +0.0%
1949 0.612 +0.0%
1950 0.612 +0.0%
1951 0.612 +0.0%
1952 0.612 +0.0%
1953 0.63 +2.9%
1954 0.63 +0.0%
1955 0.63 +0.0%
1956 0.612 -2.9%
1957 0.577 -5.7%
1958 0.569 -1.4%
1959 0.475 -16.5%
1960 0.475 +0.0%
1961 0.475 +0.0%
1962 0.475 +0.0%
1963 0.475 +0.0%
1964 0.544 +14.5%
1965 0.581 +6.8%
1966 0.581 +0.0%
1967 0.581 +0.0%
1968 0.587 +1.0%
1969 0.44 -25.0%
1970 0.362 -17.7%
1971 0.354 -2.2%
1972 0.346 -2.3%
1973 0.35 +1.2%
1974 0.35 +0.0%
1975 0.35 +0.0%
1976 0.35 +0.0%
1977 0.35 +0.0%
1978 0.35 +0.0%
1979 0.35 +0.0%
1980 0.35 +0.0%
1981 0.337 -3.7%
1982 0.325 -3.6%
1983 0.326 +0.3%
1984 0.336 +3.1%
1985 0.466 +38.7%
1986 0.477 +2.4%
1987 0.477 +0.0%
1988 0.477 +0.0%
1989 0.162 -66.0%
1990 0.046 -71.6%
1991 0.046 +0.0%
1992 0.046 +0.0%
1993 0.046 +0.0%
1994 0.046 +0.0%
1995 0.046 +0.0%
1996 0.046 +0.0%
1997 0.046 +0.0%
1998 0.046 +0.0%
1999 0.046 +0.0%
2000 0.049 +6.5%
2001 0.049 +0.0%
2002 0.049 +0.0%
2003 0.049 +0.0%
2004 0.049 +0.0%
2005 0.12 +144.9%
2006 0.12 +0.0%
2007 0.125 +4.2%
2008 0.125 +0.0%
2009 0.123 -1.6%
2010 0.124 +0.8%
2011 0.122 -1.6%
2012 0.127 +4.1%
2013 0.078 -38.6%
2014 0.061 -21.8%
2015 0.052 -14.8%
2016 0.048 -7.7%
2017 0.056 +16.7%
2018 0.042 -25.0%
2019 0.052 +23.8%
2020 0.075 +44.2%
2021 0.074 -1.3%
2022 0.089 +20.3%
2023 0.104 +16.9%
2024 0.115 +10.6%
2025 0.076 -33.9%

South Sudan compared with similar countries

  • South Sudan's 0.076 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.174, 44% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • South Sudan's 0.076 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 0.358 0.358 0.358 9
1830s 0.358 0.358 0.358 10
1840s 0.3629 0.358 0.407 10
1850s 0.3782 0.375 0.407 10
1860s 0.3359 0.319 0.362 10
1870s 0.3472 0.329 0.397 10
1880s 0.4688 0.428 0.496 5
1900s 0.605 0.596 0.606 10
1910s 0.605 0.605 0.605 10
1920s 0.6072 0.607 0.609 10
1930s 0.61 0.61 0.61 10
1940s 0.6112 0.61 0.612 10
1950s 0.5959 0.475 0.63 10
1960s 0.5214 0.44 0.587 10
1970s 0.3512 0.346 0.362 10
1980s 0.3733 0.162 0.477 10
1990s 0.046 0.046 0.046 10
2000s 0.0858 0.049 0.125 10
2010s 0.0762 0.042 0.127 10
2020s 0.0888 0.074 0.115 6

Countries ranked near South Sudan

  1. 161 Afghanistan 0.084 compare
  2. 162 Burundi 0.083 compare
  3. 163 El Salvador 0.082 compare
  4. 165 Cambodia 0.068 compare
  5. 166 Yemen 0.065 compare
  6. 167 Eritrea 0.064 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for South Sudan

All data for South Sudan →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in South Sudan?
Rule of law index in South Sudan was 0.076 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in South Sudan?
The highest recorded value was 0.63 in 1953.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in South Sudan?
The lowest recorded value was 0.042 in 2018.
How does South Sudan rank for rule of law index?
South Sudan ranks 164th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in South Sudan?
Over the last ten years it is up 46.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Sudan 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 — 190 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 South Sudan. 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/south-sudan/

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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.