V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index
Judicial constraints on the executive by country
Does the government obey the courts and the constitution, and are judges independent of it?
Australia placed first of the 176 countries compared in 2025, at 0.988, and 2 countries shared last place, at 0.003. In the middle country the figure was 0.676. Among the 166 countries measured in every edition since 1990, the middle one moved from 0.571 to 0.688.
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Judicial constraints on the executive · 2025
Key statistic · Governance & Institutions
Highest of 176Australia
0.988012025 · position · derived
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 176 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: tiimta · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3Photo: Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0 de, greyscale
Lowest in 2025
- =175
North Korea0.003 - =175
Nicaragua0.003 - 174
Belarus0.006
Positions out of 176. Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
Seychelles0.959 - Americas
2 countries share 0.954
- Asia
Sri Lanka0.912 - Europe
Denmark0.984 - OceaniaAustralia0.988
- Every region
02Every measured country
Judicial constraints on the executive on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 0.003–0.186
- 0.188–0.524
- 0.529–0.746
- 0.748–0.872
- 0.874–0.988
- No reading in 2025
- Oceania
0.887
the middle country, of 6 measured · 21 members
Australia0.988
Fiji0.795Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Europe
0.850
the middle country, of 40 measured · 49 members
Denmark0.984Belarus0.006Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
0.749
the middle country, of 27 measured · 48 members
2 share 0.954
Nicaragua0.003Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
0.495
the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members
Sri Lanka0.912North Korea0.003Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
0.315
the middle country, of 55 measured · 55 members
Seychelles0.959
Equatorial Guinea0.008Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Northern Europe
0.956
the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members
Denmark0.984
United Kingdom0.941Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Western Europe
0.934
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Switzerland0.982
Belgium0.826Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Southern Africa
0.811
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
South Africa0.895
Eswatini0.315Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Caribbean
0.788
the middle country, of 6 measured · 24 members
Barbados0.930
Cuba0.089Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Southern Europe
0.746
the middle country, of 13 measured · 17 members
Spain0.937
Serbia0.415Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
0.730
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Czechia0.962Belarus0.006Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.718
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Japan0.881North Korea0.003Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Central America
0.694
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Guatemala0.954Nicaragua0.003Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South America
0.680
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Brazil0.954
Venezuela0.017Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Southern Asia
0.667
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Sri Lanka0.912
Iran0.116Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
0.622
the middle country, of 10 measured · 11 members
Singapore0.868
Myanmar0.025Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Western Africa
0.605
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Gambia0.886
Mauritania0.114Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Northern Africa
0.389
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Morocco0.767
Algeria0.143Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Western Asia
0.356
the middle country, of 17 measured · 19 members
Israel0.857
Azerbaijan0.012Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Eastern Africa
0.261
the middle country, of 19 measured · 19 members
Seychelles0.959
Eritrea0.028Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Middle Africa
0.188
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
São Tomé and Príncipe0.725Equatorial Guinea0.008Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Central Asia
0.080
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kyrgyzstan0.358
Tajikistan0.021Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
Australia0.988
New Zealand0.975Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Melanesia
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.
Vanuatu0.911Fiji0.795Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada0.898
United States0.844Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
176 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 0.676; a quarter are above 0.845, and a quarter below 0.232. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 176 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. “=” marks a position shared with another country. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. It measures the courts' hold over the government, not the quality of justice for ordinary people: a country can constrain its executive well and still have slow, costly or inaccessible courts.
Showing 25 of 176 countries
Values for 2025. The change column compares 2025 with 2024 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051990–2025 · 36 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year from 1990, all of them re-estimated together in V-Dem's v16 release. Falls here can come before any change to elections, when courts are packed or their rulings ignored.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 166 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 176 | 0.676 | 0.232 – 0.845 | 0.688 |
| 2024 | 176 | 0.665 | 0.261 – 0.839 | 0.671 |
| 2023 | 176 | 0.659 | 0.246 – 0.859 | 0.664 |
| 2022 | 176 | 0.660 | 0.240 – 0.857 | 0.661 |
| 2021 | 176 | 0.658 | 0.257 – 0.843 | 0.661 |
| 2020 | 176 | 0.665 | 0.267 – 0.858 | 0.676 |
| 2019 | 176 | 0.656 | 0.252 – 0.851 | 0.656 |
| 2018 | 176 | 0.649 | 0.258 – 0.859 | 0.651 |
| 2017 | 176 | 0.655 | 0.262 – 0.860 | 0.667 |
| 2016 | 176 | 0.652 | 0.248 – 0.856 | 0.678 |
| 2015 | 176 | 0.670 | 0.245 – 0.857 | 0.672 |
| 2014 | 176 | 0.652 | 0.257 – 0.847 | 0.656 |
| 2013 | 176 | 0.655 | 0.257 – 0.849 | 0.664 |
| 2012 | 176 | 0.675 | 0.253 – 0.855 | 0.675 |
| 2011 | 176 | 0.668 | 0.253 – 0.859 | 0.668 |
| 2010 | 175 | 0.664 | 0.251 – 0.860 | 0.664 |
| 2009 | 175 | 0.658 | 0.254 – 0.863 | 0.657 |
| 2008 | 175 | 0.659 | 0.251 – 0.863 | 0.659 |
| 2007 | 175 | 0.663 | 0.253 – 0.864 | 0.661 |
| 2006 | 175 | 0.659 | 0.253 – 0.863 | 0.659 |
| 2005 | 175 | 0.658 | 0.253 – 0.863 | 0.654 |
| 2004 | 175 | 0.648 | 0.279 – 0.863 | 0.648 |
| 2003 | 175 | 0.648 | 0.296 – 0.859 | 0.648 |
| 2002 | 175 | 0.647 | 0.298 – 0.859 | 0.646 |
| 2001 | 174 | 0.653 | 0.305 – 0.856 | 0.647 |
| 2000 | 174 | 0.647 | 0.299 – 0.856 | 0.639 |
| 1999 | 174 | 0.635 | 0.303 – 0.856 | 0.625 |
| 1998 | 172 | 0.603 | 0.291 – 0.855 | 0.603 |
| 1997 | 171 | 0.602 | 0.289 – 0.855 | 0.603 |
| 1996 | 171 | 0.603 | 0.307 – 0.855 | 0.619 |
| 1995 | 171 | 0.603 | 0.316 – 0.855 | 0.619 |
| 1994 | 171 | 0.600 | 0.316 – 0.847 | 0.600 |
| 1993 | 171 | 0.616 | 0.305 – 0.859 | 0.625 |
| 1992 | 170 | 0.617 | 0.287 – 0.850 | 0.626 |
| 1991 | 169 | 0.598 | 0.275 – 0.835 | 0.599 |
| 1990 | 166 | 0.571 | 0.272 – 0.834 | 0.571 |
062024 → 2025
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after
Mali0.587 → 0.794 · 100th → 58th+0.207
Tunisia0.377 → 0.524 · 119th → 106th+0.147
Mauritius0.707 → 0.850 · 83rd → 42nd+0.143
Bangladesh0.309 → 0.432 · 125th → 114th+0.123- Somaliland0.376 → 0.461 · 120th → 111th+0.085
Declined most
before → after
Guinea-Bissau0.394 → 0.182 · 116th → 142nd−0.212
Burkina Faso0.420 → 0.274 · 114th → 123rd−0.146
Armenia0.382 → 0.237 · 118th → 130th−0.145
Mexico0.394 → 0.265 · 116th → 127th−0.129
Peru0.782 → 0.691 · 63rd → 85th−0.091
176 countries were measured in both 2024 and 2025.
07Across every edition
Judicial constraints on the executive in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
0.991
Judicial constraints on the executive index (0–1)
Lowest reading on record
Reached 8 times by 2 countries — shared, so no holder is named
0.003
Judicial constraints on the executive index (0–1)
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Biggest improvement between editions
+0.671
0.105 → 0.776
Biggest decline between editions
−0.478
0.506 → 0.028
Most improved since first measured
+0.679
0.043 → 0.722
At the top most often
30 of 36
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About judicial constraints on the executive
V-Dem's Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index asks whether a government respects the constitution, obeys court rulings, and faces judges — at the highest court and below — who decide independently of it. It runs from 0 to 1, and a higher figure means the executive is more firmly bound by the courts.
What the number is: Judicial constraints on the executive index (0–1).
What it does not measure
It covers the courts' hold over the government, not how quickly or fairly courts serve ordinary people.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
A key statistic for Governance & Institutions
“Whether the executive respects the constitution and obeys the courts, and whether the courts can rule against it freely — the law binding those who write it.”
- Edition used
- 2025 (data 2025)
- Countries
- 176
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 4.0
Moves with
Where judicial constraints on the executive is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Liberal Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.93
- Deliberative Democracy IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ 0.90
- Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · 175 countries in commonρ 0.88
Moves against
Where judicial constraints on the executive is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Neopatrimonial Rule IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.96
- Political Corruption IndexV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 176 countries in commonρ −0.78
- Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 174 countries in commonρ −0.69
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 379 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The countries at either end
More from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
11Questions
Judicial constraints on the executive: questions and answers
Which country has the highest judicial constraints on the executive?
Australia, at 0.988, among the 176 countries compared in 2025.
Which country has the lowest judicial constraints on the executive?
2 countries share the lowest reading, 0.003, among the 176 compared in 2025, so no single country is named.
How many countries does the Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index cover?
176 in 2025. The number measured varies from 166 to 176 between editions.
What is the world average judicial constraints on the executive?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 176 compared in 2025, the figure was 0.676.
Is this V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s own ranking?
No. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.
How often is the Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index published?
This site holds 36 reference years, 1990–2025, all recalculated in V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg’s 2026 report on one method — not 36 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, under CC BY-SA 4.0. From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
From the V-Dem Institute's Country-Year Core dataset (v16), University of Gothenburg, published under CC BY-SA 4.0. V-Dem's data runs back to 1789; the series here starts in 1990 so that every row belongs to a present-day country.
Newest edition
Report year 2025Data year 2025
Cite the source as: Coppedge, M. et al. V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v16. Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project, University of Gothenburg.
Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Australia — tiimta, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Switzerland — Simon Koopmann derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Judicial constraints on the executive by country: Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index, data from V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/judicial-constraints