Bangladesh ranked 123rd among 143 countries and jurisdictions in the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index 2026, released on 21 October, The Business Standard reported. Its ranking improved two places from 125th, and its score rose 0.6% to 0.393 out of 1, from 0.391 in 2025.

Source: The Business Standard

That made Bangladesh the world's 15th-biggest improver and South Asia's top gainer this year, The Business Standard reported. The Bengal Today likewise reported the two-place climb to 123rd with a score of 0.39, and placed Bangladesh fourth among the six South Asian countries assessed — behind Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, and ahead of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Source: The Bengal Today

The index scores countries from 0 to 1 across eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. Bangladesh improved in only three of them — constraints on government powers, absence of corruption and regulatory enforcement — while its performance declined in the other five, The Business Standard reported.

The weak spots

Fundamental rights were Bangladesh's weakest area: ranked 133rd with a score of 0.30, among the 11 lowest-ranked countries. Civil justice was second-weakest at 132nd (0.36). Regulatory enforcement ranked 124th (0.40), criminal justice 117th (0.32), absence of corruption 113th (0.35) and constraints on government powers 111th (0.38), The Business Standard reported.

Despite the improvement, Bangladesh's score of 0.393 remained well below the global average of 0.55, and it ranked below several African economies in the index — behind Zimbabwe (122nd), Nigeria (120th), Sierra Leone (110th), Liberia (103rd), Kenya (100th) and Ghana (62nd), The Business Standard reported.

123rdof 143 countries — up two places from 125th
0.393Bangladesh's score out of 1, up 0.6% from 0.391
15thbiggest improver worldwide; South Asia's top gainer
0.55global average score in the index

At the top of the index, Scandinavian and Western European nations again led: Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg were the top five globally, The Bengal Today reported.

What is solid

  • Bangladesh ranked 123rd of 143 in the WJP Rule of Law Index 2026, up two places, with its score rising to 0.393
  • It was the world's 15th-biggest improver and South Asia's top gainer, and ranked fourth of six in South Asia
  • It improved in only three of eight factors and declined in five; fundamental rights (133rd, 0.30) were its weakest area

What is only claimed

  • What the small score rise means in daily practice — the index measures perceptions and assessments across its eight factors; a 0.6% rise is an improvement in the ranking, not by itself proof of change on the ground