The World Justice Project on Wednesday, 21 October, published the 2026 Rule of Law Index. Romania ranks 45th of 143 countries and jurisdictions, with a score of 0.61, down 1.1% from the previous year. Adevărul reported that evening. Publication of the index is not a new law and not a sanction.

In the European Union, EFTA and North America region, Romania ranks 28th of 31. Only Greece, Bulgaria and Hungary score lower. Among high-income countries, it ranks 42nd of 51. The global rank fell by one place.

The index draws on more than 215,000 household surveys and about 3,400 questionnaires to practitioners and experts. Scores run from 0 to 1. WJP presents it as a diagnostic tool, not a court verdict.

Globally, declines still outnumbered improvements: 62% of countries recorded a fall this year. Over 86% have had, in the past five years, a setback on at least one safeguard against unconstrained power: limits on government powers, open government or fundamental rights. Romania is in that group. That does not mean the report declares it an authoritarian state.

WJP notes a deterioration of civic participation in Romania. Freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of assembly and association, did not fall here, unlike in most countries. The ability of courts to constrain the executive deteriorated in 63% of states, including Romania.

Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg remain at the top. At the other end: Venezuela, Afghanistan, Haiti, Cambodia and Nicaragua. Poland had the largest three-year improvement, plus 4.22% from 2023.

The index is an annual measure of perceptions and experiences. It does not change Romanian law and it does not impose a penalty.

Image: Joe Mabel, High Court of Cassation and Justice, Bucharest, 18 December 2014, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons; the building in 2014, not Wednesday publication.

Sources consulted: World Justice Project 2026 report: Romania continues to lose ground on the rule of law and ranks 45th globally - Adevarul, 21 October 2026; WJP Rule of Law Index 2026 - World Justice Project, 21 October 2026.