Ethiopia’s overall rule of law score declined by 1.3 per cent in the 2026 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, placing the country 133rd out of 143 countries globally and 31st out of 34 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Index, released on October 21 by the World Justice Project, found that authoritarian practices have become increasingly entrenched worldwide, with government interference, restrictions on civic freedoms and weakening judicial independence among the main drivers of decline.
Ethiopia recorded an overall score of 0.36 in the 2026 Index. It also ranked 12th out of 15 among low-income countries.
Globally, the Index found that 62 per cent of countries experienced a decline in rule of law, continuing what the WJP describes as a global rule of law recession. Although fewer countries declined this year than in the previous year, improvements still lag behind deteriorations.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia ranked 31st out of 34 countries. Rwanda was the region’s top performer, ranking 40th globally, followed by Namibia and Mauritius.
Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sudan recorded the lowest scores in the region, with Sudan ranked 138th globally.
The Index found that 23 of the 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa declined over the past year. Of those, 20 had also declined in the previous year, pointing to a sustained regional deterioration.
Ethiopia’s performance varied across the Index’s eight factors. It performed relatively better in criminal justice, ranking 109th globally and 22nd regionally, and in the absence of corruption, where it ranked 97th globally and 13th regionally.
However, it ranked near the bottom in several areas. Ethiopia placed 138th globally and last regionally in open government, 137th globally and last regionally in fundamental rights, and 134th globally and 33rd regionally in constraints on government powers.
It also ranked 136th globally in regulatory enforcement, 130th in order and security, and 119th in civil justice.
The WJP said authoritarianism is no longer an emerging trend but has become entrenched. More than 86 per cent of countries experienced a sustained five-year decline in at least one safeguard against authoritarian rule, including constraints on government power, open government or fundamental rights.
Ethiopia was among the countries affected by these trends.
Freedoms essential to civic space, public debate and government oversight continued to shrink in most countries. Freedom of opinion and expression declined in 64 per cent of countries, freedom of assembly and association declined in 67 per cent, and civic participation declined in 65 per cent. Ethiopia was included among the countries experiencing declines in all three areas.
The Index also found that undue executive pressure and interference have become leading drivers of institutional decay in both civil and criminal justice systems. Civil justice weakened in 64 per cent of countries and criminal justice in 58 per cent, with improper government influence identified as a central factor.
Judiciaries are also losing ground to executive overreach. The WJP reported that government powers limited by the judiciary declined in 63 per cent of countries, including Ethiopia.
Despite the broader decline, the Index found some progress in access to civil justice. Access to and affordability of civil justice improved in 54 per cent of countries, including Ethiopia, while freedom from discrimination in civil justice improved in 52 per cent of countries, also including Ethiopia.
The WJP said its data shows a connection between strong rule of law and economic stability. Countries with GDP per capita above the global average of US$14,406 scored 0.68 or higher on the Index. Countries with inflation below the median rate of 3.23 per cent scored 0.60 or above, while those with investment-grade sovereign credit ratings maintained scores of 0.66 or higher.
Denmark topped the 2026 WJP Rule of Law Index, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg. Venezuela recorded the lowest score, followed by Afghanistan, Haiti, Cambodia and Nicaragua.
The WJP Rule of Law Index measures countries across eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. It assesses 44 sub-factors based on surveys of households and legal professionals.
Ethiopia’s full country profile and performance across all 44 sub-factors are available through the World Justice Project’s website.
