Pakistan ranks third-worst for law and order among 142 countries

According to the new World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2024, Pakistan stands at 140^th position out of 142 in law and order situation. The annual index, which evaluates countries based on factors including government responsiveness, corruption, rights, and security, ranked Pakistan among the lowest with Mali and Nigeria only being worse in terms of public security and order.

The report assessed Pakistan’s position across eight key areas: Restrictions on Governmental Impunity (103rd), No Corruption (120^th ), Transparent Government (106^th), Basic Freedoms (125^th), Law and Order (140^th), Legal Sanctions (127^th), Access to Civil Justice (128^th), and Criminal Justice (98^th). On the rule of law index, Pakistan and Afghanistan were ranked lowest on the rule of law index among the South Asian countries.

This year, the WJP recorded a seventh consecutive year of the deteriorating rule of law across the world, attributed to executive excesses, declining human rights, and weak justice systems. The report noted that high-income countries like Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany lead the rankings in governance and security, while many nations, particularly in low-income brackets, are experiencing ongoing declines.

In a positive trend,the report also showed a slight decline in the deterioration of the rule of law, with 59% of the countries having made some improvement in the anti-corruption index for the first time in five years. More countries continue to improve in their criminal justice systems but there are issues with the delivery of timely and independent civil justice.

About 81% of the countries since 2016 have registered regression in fundamental rights protection and 77% have experienced erosion of checks and balances from legislatures, courts, civil society, and the media.

The report also pointed to electoral persistence, where incumbent parties won 13 of the 15 elections held in 2024. In contrast, countries like Brazil and Poland recently shifted to new democratic leadership, reversing years of significant rule of law declines.