Bangladesh slips in rule of law index

Bangladesh's ranking has slipped to 115th from 112th a year ago in the rule of law index, drawn up by the US-based World Justice Project.

The index ranks and compares 128 countries to shed light on "how the rule of law is experienced and perceived worldwide." 

Among the six South Asian countries, Bangladesh ranked fourth as Nepal ranked 61st, Sri Lanka 66th and India 69th, according to the WJP Rule of Law Index 2020.

The index measures countries' rule of law 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.

Among the indicators, Bangladesh improved slightly only in "order and security" while its performance has weakened in all the other seven indicators.

According to the 2020 report, Denmark, Norway, and Finland topped the index while DR Congo, Cambodia, and Venezuela occupied the bottom places -- with little or no improvement over the last year.

WJP said, "More countries declined than improved in overall rule of law performance for a third year in a row, continuing a negative slide toward weakening and stagnating rule of law around the world."