Cyprus records lowest order and security score in six years in 2026 rule of law index

The 2026 Rule of Law Index, published by the World Justice Project (WJP), indicates that Cyprus has reached its lowest point in the "order and security" category in the last six years. While the country improved its overall global standing by two positions to 28th out of 143 countries with a total score of 0.67, its specific performance in order and security remains concerning. Currently ranked 45th globally in this specific metric with a score of 0.79, the country also performs poorly within its own regional peer group, placing 26th out of 31 nations from the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, and North America.

The WJP assessment shows that Cyprus displayed improvement in four of the eight evaluated categories, but suffered declines in the remaining four. The downward trend in order and security has been consistent over recent years, moving from 35th place in 2021 to its current 45th position. The report highlights that global authoritarianism has become entrenched, with more than 86 percent of assessed countries experiencing sustained declines in safeguards against government overreach over the past five years. There are no immediate corrective measures mentioned, though the data serves as a long-term benchmark for legal and security governance.