Pakistan Ranked Third-Worst in Law and Order Among 142 Countries
Pakistan has been ranked as the third-worst country out of 142 nations for law and order and security, according to the latest World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index.
The WJP survey evaluates countries across eight areas, including government power limits, corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, and justice systems.
In the 2024 report, Pakistan was placed 140th in the category of Order and Security. This ranking reflects issues with crime control, protection from armed conflict, and the use of violence in resolving disputes.
Only Mali and Nigeria ranked lower than Pakistan in terms of law and order and security.
Pakistan ranks 129th out of 142 countries overall on the 2024 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
Pakistan has been ranked the third-worst country in the world for law and order and security, placing 140th out of 142 countries in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2024.
The annual report evaluates countries on eight key factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.
In overall performance, Pakistan ranks 129th out of 142 countries, reflecting serious challenges across nearly all areas of the rule of law.
Pakistan’s Category Rankings:
- Order and Security: 140th
- Constraints on Government Powers: 103rd
- Corruption: 120th
- Open Government: 106th
- Fundamental Rights: 125th
- Regulatory Enforcement: 127th
- Civil Justice: 128th
- Criminal Justice: 98th
In South Asia, only Afghanistan ranks lower than Pakistan. The index shows both countries at the bottom of the regional rankings.
The report also highlights a global decline in the rule of law for the seventh consecutive year. Most countries saw drops in their rankings, with widespread concerns over government overreach, weakening human rights, and justice systems failing to meet the needs of ordinary people.
Among high-income countries, Denmark once again topped the Rule of Law Index, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany, maintaining strong rankings in areas like human rights, transparent governance, and justice systems.
The 2024 report found that the rule of law weakened in 57% of countries surveyed. However, experts say the pace of decline is slowing, and there are hopeful signs of progress.
For the first time in five years, more countries improved than declined in the Absence of Corruption category — 59% showed positive movement in this area.
Despite these gains, the World Justice Project warns that challenges remain widespread. Around the world, issues like executive overreach, eroding fundamental freedoms, and ineffective justice systems continue to affect millions of people, especially in lower-income and conflict-prone nations like Pakistan.
While the rule of law continues to face challenges worldwide, the 2024 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index reveals some encouraging signs of progress.
According to the report, a majority of countries have improved their criminal justice systems in the past year. Meanwhile, the decline in civil justice has slowed since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, although delivering timely and independent civil justice remains a major issue in many parts of the world.
Despite these improvements, the long-term trend still raises concerns. Between 2016 and 2024, people in 81% of countries have lost protections for fundamental rights, and 77% of countries have seen a weakening of checks and balances — including reduced oversight from legislatures, courts, civil society, and the media.
“After seven consecutive years of rule of law declines, it can be easy to focus on the negative. But to do so would ignore accomplishments in anti-corruption and the hard work occurring to improve justice systems globally,”
— William H. Neukom, WJP Co-founder and President
He called on the global community to strengthen and expand recent gains, especially in areas like corruption control and access to justice.
Elections and Democratic Progress
The report also highlighted trends in electoral transparency. In elections held so far in 2024, ruling parties retained power in 13 out of 15 countries. However, some of the most improved countries on the index — including Brazil and Poland — have recently elected new governments after years of backsliding on democratic standards and the rule of law.