The World Justice Project’s (WJP) Rule of Law Index for 2024 indicates a slight improvement for Pakistan compared to 2023; however, the country still performs poorly in areas such as civil and criminal justice, fundamental rights, open government, corruption, regulatory enforcement, and order and security.
Amid unprecedented public disputes among the country’s top judges, the WJP’s Rule of Law Index serves as a stark critique of Pakistan’s justice system and governance. According to the report, Pakistan ranks 129th out of 142 countries assessed globally, up from 130th in 2023. While Pakistan has moved up one spot in the global ranking, it remains fifth out of six countries assessed in the region. The index shows that Pakistan’s overall Rule of Law score saw progress from 2015 to 2018, followed by a continuous decline from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, however, Pakistan shows its first improvement in the Rule of Law after five years of negative trends.
The index evaluates a country’s Rule of Law performance based on factors such as constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice.
In 2024, Pakistan ranks 98th globally in criminal justice (4th in the region) and 128th in civil justice (4th in the region). For regulatory enforcement, Pakistan is ranked 127th worldwide and 5th in the region. In terms of order and security, Pakistan is third-worst globally, ranked 140th out of 142 countries, and is the lowest in the region, standing at sixth.
On fundamental rights, Pakistan holds the 125th global position and ranks fourth regionally. For open government, the country ranks 106th globally and fourth regionally. In terms of corruption, Pakistan ranks 124th globally and fifth out of six regionally. Regarding constraints on government powers, the index places Pakistan 103rd worldwide and fourth within the region.