2023 Rule of Law Index: Ghana drops 3 places to 61st, 7th in Sub-saharan Africa

Ghana's global ranking in the 2023 Rule of Law Index has experienced a slight drop, with the country dropping three positions since 2021 to the 61st spot.

The 2023 Rule of Law Index, unveiled on October 25, also reveals that Ghana holds the seventh position out of 34 countries within Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Rule of Law Index, administered by the World Justice Project (WJP), is part of an annual series that gauges individuals' perceptions and experiences of the rule of law in 142 countries and jurisdictions, encompassing 95% of the world’s population.

This index assesses countries based on an average of eight key factors: Constraints on Government Powers, Absence of Corruption, Open Government, Fundamental Rights, Order and Security, Regulatory Enforcement, Civil Justice, and Criminal Justice.

Regarding these factors, Ghana secured its highest ranking, 35th globally and second regionally, in Constraints on Government Powers. In the Absence of Corruption category, Ghana's ranking was 101st globally and 16th regionally. In the categories of Open Government and Fundamental Rights, Ghana secured the 68th position worldwide and the fifth spot regionally.

However, in the areas of Civil Justice and Criminal Justice, Ghana ranked 54th globally, sixth regionally, and 69th globally, eighth regionally, respectively.

The co-founder and president of WJP, William H. Neukom, expressed his concerns about a global “rule of law recession,” characterised by executive overreach, human rights infringements, and justice systems that fail to meet people's needs.

He highlighted that people worldwide are enduring the consequences of these trends.

According to the Index's publishers, more than 6 billion people worldwide reside in countries where the rule of law has weakened between 2022 and 2023.

Denmark, Norway, and Finland emerged as the top three performers globally. In sub-Saharan Africa, Rwanda led the way, securing the 41st rank out of 142 countries worldwide, followed closely by Namibia and Mauritius.

The countries with the lowest scores on the Index included Venezuela, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

-classfmonline