Adherence to the rule of law has declined sharply since 2020. Drawing on thirty years of data across 171 countries, the 2026 Freedom and Prosperity Indexes show why that matters: without strong legal foundations, economic reforms stall, democracies erode, and prosperity stays out of reach for millions.
By Ignacio Campomanes, Nina Dannaoui-Johnson, Tomás Gómez Revelo, Annie (Yu-Lin) Lee, and James Mazzarella
Bottom lines up front
Across countries and over time, aggregate freedom is strongly associated with higher prosperity.A strong rule of law is a prerequisite for broad-based prosperity—and is often a last barrier against democratic erosion.Globally, adherence to the rule of law has declined significantly since 2020.
Table of contents
Introduction: Freedom erosion spreads beyond politics
Justice reforms have slowed for the second year in a row
This report is the culminating publication of the Freedom and Prosperity Center's "The future of democracy assistance" series,…
The U.S. fell to its lowest freedom score on record after one of its sharpest annual declines...
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says America replaced the rule of law with a medieval bazaar, and explains what it…
El país muestra avances marginales y estabilidad en sus puntajes, pero sigue condicionado por debilidades estructurales que…
Authoritarian leaders across the world use targeted strategies to sustain inequality. This paper examines those strategies and…
