By Festus Poquie
Liberia’s freedom of expression and civic participation deteriorated even as its overall rule-of-law score edged higher, highlighting persistent weaknesses in democratic accountability and institutional safeguards, according to the 2026 Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project.
Liberia ranked 103rd among 143 countries and jurisdictions, with a score of 0.45, up less than 1% from the previous year, the Washington-based organization said in its report released Oct. 21.
The country recorded declines in freedom of opinion and expression and civic participation, indicators central to the ability of journalists, civil society groups and citizens to scrutinize government decisions and challenge the exercise of executive power.
The findings come as the World Justice Project warns that authoritarian practices have become entrenched globally, with more than 86% of countries experiencing sustained five-year declines in at least one safeguard against authoritarian rule.
Although Liberia did not record a decline in the index’s measure of judicial constraints on government power, the report identifies executive interference as a growing threat to judicial independence and institutional accountability worldwide.
Liberia ranked 76th globally for constraints on government powers, 80th for fundamental rights and 84th for open government. Its performance was weaker in civil justice, at 115th, and criminal justice, at 112th, underscoring continuing challenges in the administration of justice.
The report found that freedom of expression declined in 64% of countries surveyed, while civic participation weakened in 65%. Government powers constrained by the judiciary deteriorated in 63% of countries, while civil and criminal justice weakened in 64% and 58%, respectively.
Liberia’s mixed results illustrate how modest gains in an overall score can coexist with setbacks in individual democratic safeguards. The index found improvements in access to affordable civil justice and protection against discrimination in civil proceedings.
Regionally, Liberia ranked 13th among 34 Sub-Saharan African countries and fifth among 15 low-income countries. Twenty-three countries in the region recorded declining rule-of-law scores over the past year, including 20 that also declined in the previous year.
The findings carry implications for governance and investor confidence in Liberia, where predictable law enforcement, independent courts and transparent public institutions are important to economic stability.
The World Justice Project said countries with stronger rule-of-law performance tend to have higher per-capita incomes, lower inflation and stronger sovereign credit profiles.
The index draws on more than 215,000 household surveys and 3,400 surveys of legal practitioners and experts across 143 countries and jurisdictions.
While the findings do not establish that Liberia’s executive branch has improperly influenced specific judicial proceedings, the decline in freedom of expression highlights the importance of protecting independent journalism, civic engagement and institutional checks on government authority.
