Nigeria is now ranked 120th of 142 countries in terms of adherence to rule of law, according to the latest global Rule of Law Index, as released by the World Justice Project (WJP).
The 2023 index, released on Wednesday, in Washington DC, USA, showed that out of the 34 countries ranked in the sub-Saharan region, Nigeria is rated 23rd.
The rankings show that countries were judged on eight indicators, namely constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.
While the report noted that Nigeria’s score increased, however, it slipped by two points from the 2022 index, where it was ranked 118th out of the 140 countries ranked globally that year.
According to the report, “This is the sixth consecutive Index marking global declines in the rule of law. This year alone, the rule of law declined in 59 per cent of countries surveyed. However, Nigeria is among the minority of countries to see its Rule of Law Index score increase this year”.
Globally, the top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index is Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany. The country with the lowest score is Venezuela, joined by Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In terms of constraints on government powers, Nigeria was ranked 85th out of 142 countries globally and ranked 14th out of 34 countries in the sub-Saharan region.
