Cayman Islands Rule of Law
Rule of Law RL.EST
Cayman Islands's rule of law was 0.72 in 2025, ranked 52nd globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank WGI, covering 1996–2025.
Overview
Cayman Islands's rule of law stood at 0.72 in 2025, a decline of +0.00 from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 0.72 by 2025. Cayman Islands ranked 52nd globally.
The Cayman Islands’ Rule of Law score fell from an early‑year level of 1.46 in 1996 to an all‑time peak of 1.49 in 2000, before sliding to a trough of 0.59 in 2014 and reaching 0.72 in 2025, ranking 52nd globally. This long‑term decline reflects weakening institutional effectiveness, limited judicial independence and concerns over regulatory enforcement that intensified after the 2008 financial crisis and were amplified by offshore tax‑evasion scrutiny. By contrast, peer jurisdictions such as Macao SAR, China (0.72) and Bhutan (0.73) maintain slightly higher scores, suggesting that the Cayman Islands lags behind comparable small economies in safeguarding legal certainty. The 2025 figure, while still above the 2014 trough, remains well below the early‑2000s peak, indicating that recent reforms have only modestly reversed the downward trajectory. Continued improvement will likely depend on strengthening judicial capacity, enhancing transparency in financial regulation and aligning domestic law with international anti‑money‑laundering standards.
Data & projection
| Year | Rule of Law | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 0.71 | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 0.72 | - | - |
| 2025 | 0.72 | −0.00 | #52 |
| 2023 | 0.72 | +0.00 | #48 |
| 2022 | 0.72 | −0.02 | #52 |
| 2021 | 0.74 | +0.02 | #50 |
| 2020 | 0.73 | −0.01 | #50 |
| 2019 | 0.73 | −0.01 | #48 |
| 2018 | 0.74 | −0.00 | #47 |
| 2017 | 0.74 | −0.02 | #47 |
| 2016 | 0.76 | −0.02 | #47 |
| 2015 | 0.78 | +0.20 | #48 |
| 2014 | 0.59 | −0.31 | #53 |
| 2013 | 0.90 | +0.00 | #47 |
| 2012 | 0.89 | +0.01 | #48 |
| 2011 | 0.88 | −0.02 | #48 |
| 2010 | 0.89 | +0.00 | #43 |
Analysis
Cayman Islands's rule of law was 0.72 in 2025, a decline of −0.00 from 2024. Based on trends, estimated 0.72 by 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cayman Islands's rule of law was 0.72 in 2025. Ranked 52nd globally. This represents a 0.6% decrease from the previous year.
Cayman Islands's rule of law peaked at 1.49 in 2000.
The lowest rule of law in Cayman Islands was 0.59 in 2014.
Cayman Islands ranks 52nd globally in rule of law as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is RL.EST. Data sourced from World Bank WGI.
Cayman Islands's rule of law is projected to reach 0.72 by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The rule of law of Cayman Islands in 2025 was 0.72. This ranks 52nd in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_cayman-islands_rule-of-law,
title = {Cayman Islands Rule of Law},
url = {https://historysaid.com/cayman-islands/rule-of-law/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}