WJP Rule of Law Index 2024

Griffiths + Associates representative, Head of Legal & Compliance, Dr David Lorenzo, participated in the WJP Rule of Law Index 2024 as a contributing expert from Malta.

The World Justice Project (WJP) is an independent, nonpartisan, multidisciplinary organization working to create knowledge, build awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide.

The WJP’s mission prioritizes justice, security, and accountability as fundamental to promoting human rights and achieving sustainable development.

The WJP Rule of Law Index serves as a global benchmark for evaluating countries’ adherence to the rule of law across multiple dimensions. It assesses performance in eight critical areas: constraints on government powers, absence of corruption, open government, fundamental rights, order and security, regulatory enforcement, civil justice, and criminal justice. Together, these categories provide a comprehensive view of how well countries protect human rights, prevent misuse of power, and promote transparency.

Covering 142 countries and jurisdictions, the Index is informed by over 214,000 household surveys and 3,500 surveys from legal experts and practitioners, capturing how the rule of law is both perceived and experienced worldwide. Published annually since 2009 and founded on a rigorous methodology, the Index is widely used by governments, international organizations, businesses, academia, media, and civil society to identify and address rule of law challenges globally.

Malta ranks 30th out of 142 countries in the World Justice Project (WJP) Global Rule of Law Index, maintaining its position from the previous year. With an overall score of 0.67 out of 1, Malta places 22nd out of 31 in the European Union, European Free Trade Association, and North America group, and 29 out of 47 among high-income countries, surpassing neighbour Italy.

Malta’s strongest area is Order and Security, where it ranks 7th within its regional group of EU, EFTA, and American regional group. However, its weakest performance is in regulatory enforcement and constraints on government powers, indicating challenges with regulatory consistency, public welfare protections, and accountability for officials.

While Malta’s global rank of 30th reflects a fair standing, its lower regional rank emphasizes the importance of reinforcing democratic safeguards, improving transparency, and addressing institutional constraints on government powers. Malta’s future improvement in these rankings will likely depend on continued reform efforts to bolster anti-corruption mechanisms, judicial efficiency, and regulatory fairness.