Bangladesh improved its standing in the Rule of Law Index, climbing to 123rd place out of 143 countries, with a score of 0.39.

Last year, it stood at 125th.

The ranking also places it ahead of its regional counterparts Pakistan, Myanmar and Afghanistan.

Nepal was South Asia's top performer, ranking 71st globally with a score of 0.52, followed by Sri Lanka at 74th and India at 88th.

Denmark topped the 2026 index, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg. Venezuela ranked last.

The index considered eight measures – constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice.

Bangladesh scored 0.38, 0.35, 0.41, 0.30, 0.63, 0.40, 0.36 and 0.32 in these metrics, respectively.

It performed best in order and security, which measures how well a society ensures the security of persons and property. Security is one of the defining aspects of any rule of law society and is a fundamental function of the state. It is also a precondition for the realisation of the rights and freedoms that the rule of law seeks to advance.

It performed worst in fundamental rights, which 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.

The index drew on data from more than 215,000 households and 3,400 surveys of legal practitioners and experts across 143 countries and jurisdictions, collected between February and August 2026.