Freetown, 28th October 2025: Sierra Leone’s standing in the global justice landscape has faced a troubling decline, according to the newly released 2024 Rule of Law Index by the World Justice Project. The country’s overall score dipped to 0.41, placing it 109th out of 143 countries globally, and 17th out of 34 in Sub-Saharan Africa, a clear signal of stagnation and deterioration in key areas of governance, justice, and civil liberties.
Despite a marginal score change of 0.01 from 2023, the deeper story lies in the breakdown of Sierra Leone’s performance across the eight core dimensions of the rule of law. The spider chart comparison between 2022 and 2023 reveals declines or stagnation in nearly every category, with particularly sharp drops in Regulatory Enforcement and Criminal Justice, both scoring 0.35 and 0.37 respectively, and ranking 113th globally.
The Criminal Justice system, which should serve as the backbone of accountability and public trust, continues to underperform. Sierra Leone ranks 21st out of 34 countries in the region, and 13th out of 16 in the low-income group, suggesting systemic weaknesses in law enforcement, judicial independence, and fair trial standards.
Civil Justice fares no better, with a score of 0.41, placing the country 103rd globally. This reflects persistent barriers to accessing justice, delays in court proceedings, and limited legal aid issues that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.
While Open Government and Constraints on Government Powers scored relatively higher at 0.45, these gains are overshadowed by the country’s poor performance in Absence of Corruption (0.36) and Fundamental Rights (0.42). The latter includes troubling indicators on freedom of expression, protection of privacy, and equal treatment under the law.
The Order and Security score of 0.64 the highest among all categories offers a rare bright spot. Yet, even here, Sierra Leone ranks 96th globally, suggesting that public safety is maintained, but not necessarily through transparent or rights-respecting means.
Sierra Leone’s income group ranking 16th out of 16 low-income countries is the most damning metric, underscoring its position at the bottom of the global justice ladder among its economic peers. Regionally, its performance is middling, but the downward trend in enforcement and justice mechanisms places it at risk of further decline.
The 2024 index paints a worrying picture: Sierra Leone is struggling to uphold the rule of law, with deteriorating scores in critical areas that affect every day citizens’ justice delivery, corruption control, and regulatory fairness. For policymakers, civil society, and media advocates, this data should serve as a clarion call to intensify reform efforts, strengthen institutional independence, and prioritize access to justice.
As Sierra Leone positions itself for economic recovery and democratic consolidation, restoring public trust in legal and governance systems must be central to its national agenda. The Rule of Law Index is more than a scorecard, it’s a mirror reflecting the urgent need for accountability, transparency, and inclusive justice.
