Rule of Law Index in Vietnam
Vietnam: Rule of Law Index was 0.319 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rule of Law Index in Vietnam, 1976–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, rule of law index in Vietnam stood at 0.319.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.1% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Vietnam peaked at 0.35 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.208, in 1993.
That places Vietnam 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 50 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 0.281 | — |
| 1977 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.29 | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 0.268 | -7.6% |
| 1981 | 0.258 | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 0.271 | +5.0% |
| 1983 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.271 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.233 | -14.0% |
| 1987 | 0.216 | -7.3% |
| 1988 | 0.215 | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 0.215 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.226 | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 0.22 | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.21 | -4.5% |
| 1993 | 0.208 | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.209 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.242 | +15.8% |
| 2000 | 0.238 | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.233 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 0.292 | +25.3% |
| 2006 | 0.289 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 0.288 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.288 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.291 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.291 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.336 | +15.5% |
| 2014 | 0.335 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.335 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.35 | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 0.347 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.318 | -8.4% |
| 2019 | 0.318 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.32 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.32 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.308 | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 0.332 | +7.8% |
| 2024 | 0.347 | +4.5% |
| 2025 | 0.319 | -8.1% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 0.319 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.4345, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 0.319 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.59, 54% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rule of Law Index in Vietnam changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +25.3% | 0.233 | 0.292 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2833 | 0.281 | 0.29 | 4 |
| 1980s | 0.2489 | 0.215 | 0.271 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2147 | 0.208 | 0.242 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.263 | 0.233 | 0.292 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3212 | 0.291 | 0.35 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3243 | 0.308 | 0.347 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More reference data data for Vietnam
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 12.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 18.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 23.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 93.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rule of law index in Vietnam?
- Rule of law index in Vietnam was 0.319 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 0.35 in 2016.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.208 in 1993.
- How does Vietnam rank for rule of law index?
- Vietnam ranks 122nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vietnam 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 — 50 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.