South Africa Rule of Law
Rule of Law RL.EST
Overview
South Africa's rule of law stood at 0.29 in 2025, a rise of +0.20 from 2023. Based on recent trends, this figure is projected to reach 0.29 by 2025. South Africa ranked 86th globally.
Data & projection
| Year | Rule of Law | YoY change | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026* trend | 0.37 | - | - |
| 2025* trend | 0.29 | - | - |
| 2025 | 0.29 | +0.20 | #86 |
| 2023 | 0.09 | +0.05 | #92 |
| 2022 | 0.04 | −0.02 | #93 |
| 2021 | 0.06 | +0.31 | #92 |
| 2020 | -0.24 | −0.06 | #111 |
| 2019 | -0.19 | +0.03 | #104 |
| 2018 | -0.22 | −0.07 | #108 |
| 2017 | -0.16 | −0.20 | #102 |
| 2016 | 0.04 | +0.03 | #89 |
| 2015 | 0.02 | −0.14 | #86 |
| 2014 | 0.16 | +0.02 | #75 |
| 2013 | 0.14 | +0.05 | #87 |
| 2012 | 0.08 | −0.05 | #85 |
| 2011 | 0.13 | +0.03 | #81 |
| 2010 | 0.10 | +0.03 | #85 |
Detected Pattern
Analysis
South Africa matched the Export Boom Cycle pattern in 1994. Historically, 71% of countries showing this pattern (546 out of 768) saw rule of law improve within 24 months. View full analysis →
Frequently Asked Questions
South Africa's rule of law was 0.29 in 2025. Ranked 86th globally. This represents a 231.1% increase from the previous year.
South Africa's rule of law peaked at 0.29 in 2025.
The lowest rule of law in South Africa was -0.24 in 2020.
South Africa ranks 86th globally in rule of law as of 2025.
The World Bank indicator code is RL.EST. Data sourced from World Bank WGI.
South Africa's rule of law is projected to reach 0.29 by 2025 based on trend extrapolation.
The rule of law of South Africa in 2025 was 0.29. This ranks 86th in the world.
Cite this page
@misc{historysaid_south-africa_rule-of-law,
title = {South Africa Rule of Law},
url = {https://historysaid.com/south-africa/rule-of-law},
publisher = {HistorySaid},
year = {2026}
}