Nepal top South Asian nation in rule of law index

Kathmandu, June 21

Nepal has secured the top spot among the South Asian countries in the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2017-18.

A report published by the Washington DC-based World Justice Project today said that Nepal’s ranking improved five positions to 58th place out of 113 countries worldwide, taking a lead in terms of adherence to rule of law in the entire South Asian region.

Moreover, World Justice Project asserted that all of the countries in this region improved in the global ranks with the exception of Afghanistan, which stayed in 111th place.

Sri Lanka improved the most dramatically, moving up nine positions to 59th place out of 113 indexed countries. Maldives and Bhutan were not included in the study.

The World Justice Project  Rule of Law Index had measured rule of law adherence in 113 countries and jurisdictions worldwide based on more than 110,000 household and 3,000 expert surveys.

Following primary data analysis, the index gauged on adherence to rule of law based on eight factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

As per the report, the greatest decline was seen in factor 4, fundamental rights as 71 countries dropped out of 113, which measures the absence of discrimination, right to life and security, due process, freedom of expression and religion, right to privacy, freedom of association and labour rights.

The second greatest decline was seen in factor 1, constraints on government powers as 64 countries dropped out of 113, which measures the extent to which those who govern are bound by law.

In addition, more countries’ overall rule of law score declined (34 per cent) than improved (29 per cent) as compared to their 2016 Index scores, World Justice Project report stated.

Likewise, the top three overall performers in the 2017-2018 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index are Denmark (1), Norway (2), and Finland (3); the bottom three were Afghanistan (111), Cambodia (112) and Venezuela (113).