Rule of law recession persists globally, survey finds

The global rule of law recession persists, according to the new WJP index for 2026, released on October 21 by the World Justice Project. While fewer countries declined this year than last, declines continued to outnumber improvements for the ninth consecutive year, 62 per cent against 38 per cent. The 2026 index is the latest in the annual series, drawn from expert and household surveys across 143 countries and jurisdictions, covering 95 per cent of the world's population.

The index is published by the World Justice Project and is described as the leading source of independent rule of law data, covering 143 countries and jurisdictions. "This year's findings demand urgent attention. Over 86 per cent of countries have suffered a sustained five-year decline in at least one safeguard against authoritarian rule: constraints on government powers, open government, or fundamental rights," said Alejandro Ponce, the WJP's executive director.

"Authoritarianism is no longer merely an emerging trend. It has become entrenched in many parts of the world," Ponce said. "Beyond its impact on governance, weak rule of law poses a direct threat to the private sector: when institutions falter, market confidence breaks down."

Civic space keeps shrinking in the rule of law index

A characteristic of the recession is a shrinking civic space. An expansion of authoritarian trends is the primary force behind the rule of law recession, the index finds. Freedoms needed for public discussion and government oversight saw widespread erosion: freedom of opinion and expression declined in 73 per cent of countries, freedom of assembly and association in 72 per cent, and civic participation in 71 per cent.

The index shows judiciaries losing ground to executive overreach, with rising political interference across justice systems. Indicators measuring whether the judiciary limits executive power and whether civil and criminal justice are free from improper government influence declined in 61, 67 and 62 per cent of countries respectively. The index measures eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Ireland holds its place as civil justice weakens

Among high-income countries, the country ranks 8th out of 51. It was an exception to the shrinking civic freedoms: none of the three freedoms above declined there, and the integrity of checks and balances was seriously weakened in many countries but not there. Nigeria ranked 120 out of 143 countries in the 2026 index.

Civil justice weakened in 68 per cent of countries, including Ireland. The decline reflects longer delays, less effective alternatives to court such as mediation, and greater government interference.

The IBA survey on rule of law backsliding

A separate survey report by the International Bar Association (IBA) found a wide gap between the importance legal professionals attach to the principles and their assessment of how those principles are put into practice. The forum gathered responses from 326 legal professionals across more than 64 countries between August and December 2025.

The project was led by Tahera Mandviwala, a member of the forum's advisory board, with the Bingham Centre for Rule of Law and professors Sandra Kröger and Renata Uitz. Respondents included lawyers in private practice, academics, judges, civil servants and staff of non-governmental organisations. The report examines the state of the rule of law and the legal profession's role in preventing backsliding.