Statizoid

Rule of Law Index in United States

United States: Rule of Law Index was 0.924 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
0.924
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
27th
of 173 countries
All-time high
0.983
in 2010
All-time low
0.853
in 1798
Years of data
237
1789–2025

Rule of Law Index in United States, 1789–2025

00.20.40.60.81178919072025

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

Analysis

In 2025, rule of law index in United States stood at 0.924.

That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rule of law index in United States peaked at 0.983 in 2010 and was at its lowest, 0.853, in 1798.

That places United States 27th out of 173 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 0.887 0.887 0.887 1
1790s 0.8802 0.853 0.887 10
1800s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1810s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1820s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1830s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1840s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1850s 0.887 0.887 0.887 10
1860s 0.8739 0.855 0.897 10
1870s 0.886 0.886 0.886 10
1880s 0.886 0.886 0.886 10
1890s 0.886 0.886 0.886 10
1900s 0.9 0.9 0.9 10
1910s 0.9232 0.913 0.933 10
1920s 0.9166 0.901 0.925 10
1930s 0.9318 0.93 0.933 10
1940s 0.9322 0.928 0.936 10
1950s 0.9305 0.925 0.936 10
1960s 0.9325 0.925 0.947 10
1970s 0.9607 0.949 0.971 10
1980s 0.9672 0.965 0.972 10
1990s 0.9774 0.976 0.978 10
2000s 0.9794 0.979 0.982 10
2010s 0.9681 0.936 0.983 10
2020s 0.9547 0.924 0.972 6

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 24 Costa Rica 0.935 compare
  2. 25 Austria 0.932 compare
  3. 26 Barbados 0.927 compare
  4. 28 Lithuania 0.92 compare
  5. 29 South Korea 0.917 compare
  6. 29 Taiwan 0.917 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is rule of law index in United States?
Rule of law index in United States was 0.924 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest rule of law index recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 0.983 in 2010.
What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.853 in 1798.
How does United States rank for rule of law index?
United States ranks 27th out of 173 countries with data for 2025.
Is rule of law index rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States 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.