A Washington-based non-profit has ranked Ethiopia among the lowest in the world for its adherence to the rule of law.
The 2025 Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project (WJP) ranks Ethiopia 132nd out of 143 nations globally and highlights what it describes as a “rule of law recession” that has seen more than two-thirds of countries on the list exhibit a judicial decline over the past year.
WSJ, founded in 2006 under the American Bar Association, reports that Ethiopia’s overall rule of law score decreased by 2.4 percent in this year’s index. Regionally, it fared only slightly better, ranking 30th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The data reveals a particularly troubling performance in several areas, including the fundamental rights and ‘open government’ categories, in which Ethiopia ranks near bottom.
The report directly links these declines to “a worldwide expansion of authoritarian trends” and cites “shrinking civic space” as a key characteristic of the regression.
The non-profit found that Ethiopia is among the over 70 percent of countries where crucial freedoms have eroded.
“Freedom of opinion and expression declined in 73 percent of countries, including Ethiopia,” with similar regressions noted for freedom of assembly and civic participation, according to the report.
“An expansion of authoritarian trends is the primary force behind the rule of law recession, with deep declines in factors measuring constraints on government powers, open government, and fundamental rights,” reads the WJP report.
The integrity of checks and balances has also been seriously weakened, according to the organization.
It highlights that judiciaries are losing ground to executive overreach, with rising political interference across justice systems, a trend that includes Ethiopia. More broadly, according to the report, civil justice weakened in 68 percent of countries, reflecting longer delays and greater government interference.
Globally, the top-ranked countries are Denmark, Norway, and Finland, while Venezuela sits at the bottom. The findings underscore a heightened risk to democracy worldwide, with Ethiopia’s rankings illustrating the profound challenges it faces in upholding the rule of law for its citizens.
