ALMATY – The World Justice Project (WJP) has released its 2025 Rule of Law Index, assessing 143 countries through nationwide population surveys, indicating that Central Asian countries demonstrated mixed results amid global backsliding.
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Expert evaluations across eight key dimensions, from limits on government powers to the effectiveness of civil and criminal justice, featured global trends and highlighted the regional differences. Each country received a score between 0 and 1, where 1 reflects full adherence to rule-of-law principles, and 0 indicates their absence.
This year’s findings reveal a concerning global trend as the rule of law weakened in 68% of countries, marking the eighth consecutive year in which deterioration outpaced improvement. According to WJP, the global decline is accelerating, with up to 57% of countries registering negative trends in 2024. The index further shows that average declines were twice as steep as average improvements, highlighting that dismantling rule-of-law institutions occurs much faster than building them.
Kazakhstan shows relative progress in Central Asia
Kazakhstan scored 0.54 and ranked 66th, slightly improving its position. Uzbekistan followed with 0.50 and 81st place, also showing modest gains, while the Kyrgyz Republic declined to 104th place. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were not included in this year’s assessment.
In the regional ranking for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Kazakhstan placed 5th, behind Georgia, Montenegro, and Kosovo. Uzbekistan ranked 8th, and the Kyrgyz Republic ranked 12th. The lowest performers in the region were Belarus, Türkiye, and Russia.
Kazakhstan maintains regional leadership
International anti-corruption expert Kodir Kuliyev noted that Kazakhstan remains a regional leader due to comparatively stronger regulatory and administrative institutions and greater predictability in law enforcement.
According to him, WJP’s findings also point to challenges, particularly in civil justice, where delays, limited alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms, and risks of state interference persist, reported the Politik news agency.
To maintain its leading position, Kuliyev emphasized the importance of “moving from visible reforms to deeper internal improvements,” including digitalizing case-management systems, enhancing transparency in judicial processes, and strengthening safeguards to protect court decisions from informal influence.
Global drivers of decline
The WJP highlights rising authoritarianism, weakening checks and balances, shrinking civic space, and increasing executive pressure on judiciaries as key drivers of this year’s downturn. Declines were especially evident in the categories of constraints on government powers, open government, and fundamental rights.
The report warns that while strengthening the rule of law is a gradual, multi-year process, erosion can occur rapidly, posing long-term risks to governance, stability, and development worldwide.
