Bangladesh has progressed by two spots to take the 123rd spot among 143 countries in the global rule of law index being prepared by the World Justice Project.
Bangladesh has scored 0.39 points against a global average of 0.55 points in the index. It has also logged the biggest jump in the index in the South Asia region over the past year, and ranks 15th globally in terms of annual progress.
In South Asia, Bangladesh leads only Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Nepal taking the top spot in the region.
Bangladesh remained on the 127th spot consistently for three years till 2024 under the rule of the Awami League regime. Things improved following the fall of the regime, with the country progressing two spots to take the 125th spot in 2025, and it advanced further two spots in 2026.
The country still trails a number of African, Latin American and Central Asian countries, which are historically known to be less democratic globally.
Countries like Ecuador, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, Zambia, Lebanon, Rwanda, Belarus, Ghana, Kazakhstan and Argentina are far ahead of Bangladesh.
The four Scandinavian countries and Luxembourg top the list.
The index uses eight indicators: checks on government power, corruption, liberal governance, basic rights, security, enforcement of rules and regulations, civil justice, and criminal justice.