Rule of Law Index in Spain

Spain: Rule of Law Index was 0.947 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.947
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
21st
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.988
in 2006
All-time low
0.245
in 1815
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in Spain, 1789–2025

0.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Spain stood at 0.947.

The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Spain peaked at 0.988 in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.245, in 1815.

Spain ranks 21st of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1780s 0.318 0.318 0.318 1
1790s 0.318 0.318 0.318 10
1800s 0.3073 0.25 0.318 10
1810s 0.2648 0.245 0.303 10
1820s 0.2898 0.245 0.365 10
1830s 0.327 0.245 0.392 10
1840s 0.392 0.392 0.392 10
1850s 0.4416 0.392 0.454 10
1860s 0.4596 0.454 0.51 10
1870s 0.534 0.534 0.534 10
1880s 0.5492 0.534 0.553 10
1890s 0.579 0.579 0.579 10
1900s 0.579 0.579 0.579 10
1910s 0.579 0.579 0.579 10
1920s 0.4919 0.454 0.579 10
1930s 0.6381 0.454 0.703 10
1940s 0.4395 0.425 0.446 10
1950s 0.435 0.435 0.435 10
1960s 0.455 0.455 0.455 10
1970s 0.6195 0.458 0.987 10
1980s 0.987 0.987 0.987 10
1990s 0.987 0.987 0.987 10
2000s 0.9874 0.987 0.988 10
2010s 0.9754 0.967 0.988 10
2020s 0.9682 0.947 0.985 6

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 18 Japan 0.956 compare
  2. 19 United Kingdom 0.955 compare
  3. 20 Chile 0.951 compare
  4. 22 Czechia 0.945 compare
  5. 22 Uruguay 0.945 compare
  6. 24 Costa Rica 0.935 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Spain?
Rule of law index in Spain was 0.947 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 0.988 in 2006.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 0.245 in 1815.
How does Spain rank for rule of law index?
Spain ranks 21st out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Spain 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.