GUYANA RANKED 80TH IN WORLD JUSTICE PROJECT RULE OF LAW INDEX 2025
By: Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News |
Guyana has been ranked 80th out of 143 countries in the 2025 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index, reflecting both progress and persistent challenges in governance, judicial independence, and civil rights protection.
Here’s more from Tiana Cole.
A new report from the World Justice Project shows that 68% of countries experienced declines in their rule-of-law scores in 2025 — up from 57% last year — with Guyana among those recording a modest drop of less than one percent.
Globally, Guyana is placed 80th of 143 countries, while regionally, it now ranks 18th out of 32 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, falling slightly from 16th place in 2024.
The WJP Rule of Law Index is the leading global measure of how citizens and experts perceive and experience the rule of law in practice. It evaluates eight key areas:
- Constraints on government powers
- Absence of corruption
- Open government
- Fundamental rights
- Order and security
- Regulatory enforcement
- Civil justice
- Criminal justice
Scores range from 0 to 1, with higher values reflecting stronger adherence to the rule of law.
According to the Index, Guyana performed relatively well in transparency and anti-corruption efforts, but showed weaknesses in judicial independence and civic space — both of which are vital to ensuring fair access to justice and checks on government power.
Experts note that Guyana’s ranking demonstrates that while the nation has established key institutional foundations, greater emphasis is needed on protecting judicial autonomy and strengthening democratic safeguards.
With Guyana’s economy expanding rapidly through the oil and extractive industries, analysts caution that good governance, accountability, and citizen participation must remain priorities to ensure that economic growth translates into inclusive and sustainable development.
