Romania Rule of Law
Rule of Law RL.EST
Romania's rule of law was 0.43 in 2025, ranked 74th globally. This represents a 1.1% decrease from 2024. Data from World Bank WGI, covering 1996–2025.
Overview
Romania's rule of law stood at 0.43 in 2025, a decline of +0.00 from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 0.43 by 2025. Romania ranked 74th globally.
Romania's rule of law has exhibited significant variability over the past 26 years, with its World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) score fluctuating between -0.27 in 2002 and 0.45 in 2016. The all-time peak in 2016, a year when several countries in the region were experiencing economic growth, suggests that a stable and secure environment contributed to improved governance. However, the score declined to 0.43 in 2025, placing Romania at #74 globally. This performance is comparable to that of Italy, another European country, which holds a score of 0.41. In contrast, Barbados, a peer country with a similar score, has maintained a stable record since 2016. The relatively high score of 0.45 in 2016 indicates that Romania's rule of law has improved significantly in recent years, but the slight decline in 2025 suggests that there may be challenges ahead. A continued improvement in the rule of law would require sustained efforts to strengthen the country's judicial system and combat corruption.
Data & projection
| Year | Rule of Law | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 0.44 | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 0.43 | - | - |
| 2025 | 0.43 | −0.00 | #74 |
| 2023 | 0.44 | +0.03 | #71 |
| 2022 | 0.40 | +0.02 | #75 |
| 2021 | 0.38 | +0.01 | #74 |
| 2020 | 0.37 | −0.05 | #73 |
| 2019 | 0.42 | +0.05 | #72 |
| 2018 | 0.37 | −0.07 | #73 |
| 2017 | 0.44 | −0.02 | #65 |
| 2016 | 0.45 | +0.25 | #65 |
| 2015 | 0.20 | −0.04 | #78 |
| 2014 | 0.24 | +0.05 | #70 |
| 2013 | 0.19 | +0.10 | #82 |
| 2012 | 0.09 | −0.01 | #84 |
| 2011 | 0.10 | −0.00 | #84 |
| 2010 | 0.11 | +0.05 | #83 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
Romania matched the Fiscal Dominance Trap pattern in 2023. Historically, 72% of countries showing this pattern (278 out of 386) saw rule of law improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
Romania's rule of law was 0.43 in 2025. Ranked 74th globally. This represents a 1.1% decrease from the previous year.
Romania's rule of law peaked at 0.45 in 2016.
The lowest rule of law in Romania was -0.27 in 2002.
Romania ranks 74th globally in rule of law as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is RL.EST. Data sourced from World Bank WGI.
Romania's rule of law is projected to reach 0.43 by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The rule of law of Romania in 2025 was 0.43. This ranks 74th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_romania_rule-of-law,
title = {Romania Rule of Law},
url = {https://historysaid.com/romania/rule-of-law/},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}