Rwanda has topped the Sub-Saharan Africa region in overall rule of law scores, according to the 2021 Rule of Law Index considered the world's leading source for original, independent data on this subject.

Regionally, Rwanda ranked first out of 33 countries that the Index surveyed in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Rwanda rose to the first position after coming second in the 2020 Index that was led by Namibia at the Sub-Saharan African level.

Also, Rwanda topped the ranking of the 18 low-income countries covered by the Index.

The Index was launched on Thursday, October 14, 2021. It is produced by The World Justice Project® (WJP), an independent international organisation, based in the U.S, working towards advancing the rule of law worldwide.

Covering 139 countries and jurisdictions worldwide, the Index relies on national surveys of more than 138,000 households and 4,200 legal practitioners and experts to measure how the rule of law is experienced and perceived around the world, according to (WJP).

Performance is assessed using 44 indicators across 8 categories (factors), each of which is scored and ranked globally and against regional and income peers.

The factors are Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

Globally, Denmark topped the Index with a 0.9 score, followed by Norway (second) and Finland (third).

Rwanda ranked 42nd globally – of 139 countries surveyed – and maintained the same score (0.62) as for the previous year’s ranking. However, the country’s global ranking implies a regression compared to 2020 when it ranked 37th globally.

Overall, some countries in Africa regressed in this year’s index performance.

In the East African Community (EAC), Tanzania – which is the closest to Rwanda in this year’s index –, got the 100th position compared to 93rd in 2020, Kenya came at 106th place compared to 102th in 2020, while Uganda was at 125th against 117th position last year.

Now, Namibia ranked, which ranked 35th in 2020, came 44th globally in the current ranking, and second regionally – after Rwanda.

Indeed, over the last year, 74.2 percent of countries – accounting for 84.7 percent of the world’s population, or about 6.5 billion people – covered by the Index, experienced declines in rule of law performance and 25.8 percent improved.

Here is how Rwanda fared on some factors:

Constraints on Government Powers

This factor measures the extent to which those who govern are bound by law. It comprises the means, both constitutional and institutional, by which the powers of the government and its officials and agents are limited and held accountable under the law.

It also includes non-governmental checks on the government’s power, such as a free and independent press.

On this factor, Rwanda ranked 42nd globally out of 139 countries covered by the Index, fourth in the region (Sub-Saharan Africa), but first of the 18 low-income countries surveyed.

Absence of Corruption

This factor measures the absence of corruption in government. It considers three forms of corruption: bribery, improper influence by public or private interests, and misappropriation of public funds or other resources.

Rwanda ranked 40th globally, topped the Sub-Saharan Africa Region and the 18 low-income countries covered by the Index.

Open Government

On this aspect, Rwanda took the 46th position globally, second in the regional ranking, and first in the low-income countries.

This factor measures the openness of government defined by the extent to which a government shares information, empowers people with tools to hold the government accountable, and fosters citizen participation in public policy deliberations.

Order and Security

This factor assesses how well a society ensures the security of persons and property.

It is one of the factors on which Rwanda performed better as it ranked 33 globally, first regionally (in Sub-Saharan Africa), and first among low-income countries.

Fundamental Rights

This factor recognises that a system of positive law that fails to respect core human rights established under international law is at best "rule by law,” and does not deserve to be called a rule of law system.

Rwanda ranked 90th globally on this factor, 14 in the region, and seventh 18th among low-income countries.

Regulatory Enforcement

This factor measures the extent to which regulations – both legal and administrative – are fairly and effectively implemented and enforced.

On this component, Rwanda was placed 41st globally, third regionally, and first among low-income countries.

Civil Justice

This factor measures whether ordinary people can resolve their grievances peacefully and effectively through the civil justice system. It measures whether civil justice systems are accessible and affordable as well as free of discrimination, corruption, and improper influence by public officials.

For this factor, Rwanda came 31st globally, first regionally, and first in the low-income country ranking.

Criminal Justice

For this factor, it evaluates a country’s criminal justice system, underscoring that an effective criminal justice system is a key aspect of the rule of law, as it constitutes the conventional mechanism to redress grievances and bring action against individuals for offenses against society.

In this regard, Rwanda ranked 48th globally, fourth regionally, and first among low-income countries.