Hungary ranks 73 out of 140 in Rule of Law Index
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- 2022 WJP Rule of Law Index® finds rule of law fell globally for 5th consecutive year
- Authoritarian trends and some pandemic pressures continue in majority of countries
- Hungary’s score decreased, ranks 31st out of 31 regionally
For the fifth year in a row, the rule of law has declined globally, according to the 2022 World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index®, released today.
The World Justice Project’s original data in 140 countries and jurisdictions shows that adherence to the rule of law fell in 61% of countries this year—including Hungary.
Globally, 4.4 billion people live in countries where rule of law has declined over the past year.
“We are emerging from the pandemic, but the global rule of law recession continues,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the World Justice Project (WJP). “At its heart, rule of law is about fairness–that is, accountability, equal rights, and justice for all. And a less fair world is bound to be a more volatile one.”
Index data shows that authoritarian trends that predate the pandemic—such as weaker checks on executive power and increased attacks on the media—continue to erode the rule of law globally.
However, declines are less widespread and extreme than last year, when Covid shutdowns dramatically disrupted justice systems, and governments exercised emergency powers that curtailed civic freedoms and bypassed transparency mechanisms.
Rule of law in Hungary
Hungary’s overall rule of law score decreased by less than 1% in this year’s Index. It ranks 73rd out of 140 countries worldwide, falling four positions since last year.
Regionally, Hungary ranks 31st out of 31 countries in the European Union, European Free Trade Association, and North America.* The region’s top performer is Denmark (ranked 1st out of 140 globally), followed by Norway and Finland. The three countries with the lowest scores in the region are Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary (73rd globally).
In the last year, 13 out of 31 countries declined in the European Union, European Free Trade Association, and North America. Of those 13 countries, 4 had also declined in the previous year.
Among high income countries, Hungary ranks 43rd out of 43.**
For this, I believe we can only blame our Politicians and ruling party of over a decade. Perhaps a public advertisement campaign to raise awareness with respect to this would be useful – instead of the latest round of EU bashing. The Politicians always need to blame someone – have an enemy. Why take ownership and face cold hard facts when you can play games and spin tales? The link makes for some very disturbing reading – #facts #transparancy