Malta slips one place in World Justice Project’s rule of law index

Malta slipped one place in the World Justice Project’s rule of law index, scoring 0.67.

The country now ranks 31st out of 143 states in the index which measures the perception of rule of law within each country.

The index also measured Malta’s ranking in law and order, its justice system, and corruption.

Malta’s score is the lowest since it was included in the global index, where it had always been at the 30th position. 

When it comes to constraints on government powers, Malta’s position has continued to fall, slipping from 39th place last year to 43rd this year. According to the index, this is largely due to inadequate accountability for government officials involved in misconduct.

The country also dropped one spot in the absence of corruption ranking, moving from 39th to 40th place, still far below its 2022 peak position of 29th. While Malta scored relatively well in curbing corruption within the police and judiciary, it fares poorly in the executive and legislative branches.

Malta’s civil and criminal justice systems achieved good results in areas such as accessibility, affordability, effective investigations, and due process. However, the report highlights persistent court delays as a major issue.

In terms of order and security, Malta ranked 12th worldwide and 7th among EU and North American nations. 

The country earned a perfect score for the absence of civil conflict.

Malta’s open governance score also attracted criticism, falling below the global average for access to information. The report notes that civic participation, the effectiveness of complaint mechanisms, and the availability of public data all remain below EU standards.