Hong Kong ranks 24th in global rule of law index as overall score falls
Por Kristen Cheung — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Hong Kong society Hong Kong Society Hong Kong ranks 24th in global rule of law index as overall score falls
City stays in global top 10 in absence of corruption and order and security categories, but slips in fundamental rights and criminal justice rankings
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Kristen Cheung Published: 9:33am, 22 Oct 2026
Hong Kong has been ranked 24th in the latest global rule of law index, despite slipping slightly in the fundamental rights and criminal justice categories.
The index, released by the World Justice Project on Wednesday, showed the city remained among the world’s top 10 for “absence of corruption” and “order and security”, rising to seventh in the latter category.
The organisation said the global erosion of the rule of law slowed in 2026, but the overall decline continued, with 62 per cent of the 143 jurisdictions surveyed recording falls.
The index assessed jurisdictions across eight aspects of the rule of law, scoring each on a scale of zero to one.
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