KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan has been ranked the worst-performing country in South Asia and the second-worst worldwide in the rule of law, ahead of only Venezuela, according to an index released by the World Justice Project on Tuesday.
The report placed Afghanistan 142nd out of 143 countries, giving it a score of 0.31. The ranking highlights the country’s poor performance in upholding the rule of law under Taliban rule.
The Rule of Law Index assesses performance across eight factors: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice and criminal justice. Afghanistan recorded low scores on most indicators and ranked among the weakest performers worldwide.
Afghanistan’s score has declined from 0.36 in 2020 to 0.31 in 2026, reflecting a deterioration in its overall rule-of-law performance over the period. The country received the same score and ranking in 2025, indicating no improvement in its position over the past year.
Denmark, Norway and Finland topped the global rankings, recording the strongest performance in upholding the rule of law. Venezuela ranked last among the 143 countries assessed.
The World Justice Project said the rule of law has declined in most countries for the ninth consecutive year. More than 86% of countries experienced sustained declines over the past five years in at least one of three key mechanisms designed to check authoritarian rule.
Alejandro Ponce, the project’s executive director, said the rule of law underpins peaceful societies, protects individual rights, supports the delivery of justice and creates the conditions necessary for sustainable economic prosperity. He added that the 2026 findings show the global erosion of the rule of law continues and that authoritarianism is no longer an emerging trend but has become entrenched in many parts of the world. The results, he said, require serious attention.
Since returning to power, the Taliban abolished the constitution adopted under the previous government along with institutions intended to oversee and protect fundamental rights. Afghanistan is now governed through decrees and orders issued by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s reclusive supreme leader. The group has severely restricted the fundamental rights of citizens, particularly women and girls as well as ethnic and religious minorities.
