March 12 – Albania’s overall rule of law score decreased 1.2 percent in this year’s WJP Rule of Law Index. At 78th place out of 128 countries and jurisdictions worldwide, Albania fell four positions in global rank. Albania’s score places it at 9 out of 14 countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region and 29 out of 42 among upper middle income countries. Significant trends for Albania include a deterioration in the factor measuring Constraints on Government Powers.
More countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for a third year in a row, continuing a negative slide toward weakening and stagnating rule of law around the world. The majority of countries showing deteriorating rule of law in the 2020 Index also declined in the previous year, demonstrating a persistent downward trend. This was particularly pronounced in the Index factor measuring Constraints on Government Powers.
The declines were widespread and seen in all corners of the world. In every region, a majority of countries slipped backward or remained unchanged in their overall rule of law performance since the 2019 WJP Rule of Law Index.
Regionally, Eastern Europe and Central Asia’s top performer in the Index is Georgia (42nd out of 128 countries globally), followed by Kosovo and North Macedonia. The three countries with the lowest scores in the region were Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation, and Turkey (107th out of 128 countries globally).
Countries with the strongest improvement in rule of law were Ethiopia (5.6 percent increase in score, driven primarily by gains in Constraints on Government Powers and Fundamental Rights) and Malaysia (5.1 percent, driven primarily by gains in Constraints on Government Powers, Fundamental Rights, and Regulatory Enforcement).
The largest declines in the rule of law were seen in Cameroon (-4.4 percent, driven primarily by falling scores in Order and Security and Fundamental Rights) and Iran (-4.2 percent, driven primarily by falling scores in Criminal Justice). Over the last five years, countries experiencing the largest average annual percentage drop in the rule of law were Egypt (-4.6 percent); Venezuela, RB (-3.9 percent); Cambodia (-3.0 percent); Philippines (-2.5 percent); Cameroon (-2.4 percent); Hungary (-2.1 percent); and Bosnia and Herzegovina (-2.1 percent).
The single biggest decline by factor over the past five years was Egypt’s and Poland’s score for Constraints on Government Powers, with an average annual decline of -8.5 percent and -6.8 percent, respectively.
