Rule of Law Index in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Rule of Law Index was 0.829 in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
0.829
Change on year
up 17.1%
World rank
41st
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.893
in 1920
All-time low
0.397
in 2010
Years of data
126
1900–2025

Rule of Law Index in Sri Lanka, 1900–2025

00.20.40.60.8190019622025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in Sri Lanka stood at 0.829.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.1% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.893 in 1920 and was at its lowest, 0.397, in 2010.

Sri Lanka ranks 41st of 173 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1900s 0.884 0.884 0.884 10
1910s 0.884 0.884 0.884 10
1920s 0.893 0.893 0.893 10
1930s 0.8867 0.886 0.893 10
1940s 0.8702 0.814 0.886 10
1950s 0.8112 0.792 0.821 10
1960s 0.798 0.798 0.798 10
1970s 0.7439 0.678 0.777 10
1980s 0.6427 0.563 0.67 10
1990s 0.5912 0.579 0.597 10
2000s 0.5514 0.484 0.611 10
2010s 0.5478 0.397 0.71 10
2020s 0.6188 0.46 0.829 6

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 38 Italy 0.865 compare
  2. 39 Brazil 0.862 compare
  3. 40 Jamaica 0.847 compare
  4. 42 Botswana 0.822 compare
  5. 42 Vanuatu 0.822 compare
  6. 44 Namibia 0.817 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in Sri Lanka?
Rule of law index in Sri Lanka was 0.829 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 0.893 in 1920.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 0.397 in 2010.
How does Sri Lanka rank for rule of law index?
Sri Lanka ranks 41st out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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

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.