Malta ranks 30 out of 140 in Rule of Law Index

Malta’s overall rule of law score decreased by 0.01% from 2023 in the World Justice Projec’s Rule of Law Index, ranking 30th out of 142 countries.

Regionally, Malta ranked 22nd out of 31 countries in the European Union European Free Trade Association, and North America category. In the income rank, Malta ranks 29 out of 47 countries.

The 2024 WJP Rule of Law Index evaluates 142 countries and jurisdictions around the world. For the seventh year in a row, the rule of law has declined in most countries. The WJP Rule of Law Index draws on in-depth surveys with more than 154,000 everyday people and 3,600 legal practitioners and experts to measure rule of law across eight factors

Globally, Denmark (0.9) ranked 1st, followed closely by Norway (0.89) and Finland (0.87). Venezuela got the worst score at 0.26.  

The report breaks down the overall index score into different issues and factors.

In constraints on government powers, Malta’s scored a score of 0.63, declining by 0.01, ranking above the global above average of 0.54 and lower than the regional average of 0.73.

On the absence of corruption, Malta scored 0.64, higher than the global average of 0.51, and lower than the regional average of 0.73.

When it comes to open government score, Malta scored 0.63, once again higher than the global average (0.52) and lower than the regional average of 0.72.

On fundamental rights Malta’s scored 0.74, very close to the regional average of 0.77 and considerably higher than the global average of 0.56.

The order and security factor was the only one which saw Malta (0.91) score higher than the regional score of 0.86.

The score was welcomed by the Home Affairs Ministry, who said it was the result of “relentless efforts” to improve the sector.

Minister Byron Camilleri added that when investment is made in workers, resources, and rights, it leads to “improved services for our families, as indicated by this global index, helping them feel safe where they live, work, and spend their leisure time.”

“This investment will not stop but will rather be reinforced, as shown in the Budget. This Government achieves more than it promises. In fact, the financial allocation for this sector in next year’s Budget is the largest in history,” the minister said.

In the regulatory enforcement section, Malta scored 0.59, higher than the global average of 0.54, and once again lower than the regional average of 0.72.

Civil justice followed the pattern, with Malta scoring 0.6, with the global average standing at 0.54 and the regional average of 0.69.

The last factor, criminal justice, saw Malta score 0.63, higher than the global average of 0.47, and closer to the regional average of 0.67.