Rule-of-law scores fell in 26 of the 40 European countries with comparable data between 2021 and 2026, and the four Nordic leaders were among them: Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden each lost ground, according to a Visual Capitalist ranking built on the World Justice Project's latest index.
It is not only a European problem. The WJP's 2026 index, released October 21, covers 143 countries and found declines outnumbering improvements for the ninth straight year, 62% to 38%. The group said the drop in its measure of constraints on government powers was driven by weaker non-governmental checks, and that judicial limits on government power fell in 63% of countries.
Inside Europe, Russia fell 0.062 points to 0.401, the steepest drop on the continent, followed by Georgia (0.036), Serbia (0.032) and Belarus (0.031). Latvia (up 0.031) and Lithuania (up 0.028) improved the most. Germany slipped 0.010 to 0.830, France 0.004 to 0.716 and the UK 0.007 to 0.778.
Using the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index 2026, this visualization by The European Correspondent (via Visual Capitalist) ranks 41 European countries and tracks changes in their scores since 2021.
Which European Countries Have the Strongest Rule of Law?
The index measures eight factors, including constraints on government power, corruption, fundamental rights, and civil and criminal justice. Scores range from zero to one, with higher values indicating stronger adherence
