Guam Rule of Law

Guam’s Rule of Law score on the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators has slipped to 0.92 in 2025, placing it 41st globally and just above the United Arab Emirates (0.88) while trailing Slovenia (0.96) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (0.91). The territory’s 21‑year series shows a steady decline from an all‑time peak of 1.41 in 2014 to the current trough, a reversal of the modest improvements recorded in the early 2000s when the index stood at 0.99. The downward trajectory reflects growing concerns over judicial independence, law enforcement effectiveness and contract enforcement, issues that have become more pronounced as Guam’s economic diversification efforts encounter regulatory bottlenecks. If reforms strengthen institutional capacity and enhance transparency, the score could stabilize or recover; otherwise the downward trend is likely to persist, further widening the gap with higher‑ranking peers such as Latvia (1.01).