Addis Abeba — As the rule of law continued to decline globally for six consecutive years, Ethiopia has ranked 129th out of 142 countries according to the World Justice Project's (WJP)annual Rule of Law Index published today.

The index, which measures human rights, access to justice, corruption and authoritarianism worldwide, indicated that the rule of law declined in 59% of the 142 countries surveyed this year including Ethiopia.

"Over the past seven years, Index scores for Constraints on Government Powers have fallen in 74% of countries including Ethiopia. Around the world, legislatures, judiciaries, and civil society--including the media have all lost ground on checking executive power," the Index showed.

Regionally, Ethiopia ranked 30th out of 34 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Rwanda, ranked 41st out of 142 globally, is the region's top performer followed by Namibia and Mauritius. The three countries with the lowest scores in the region are Mauritania, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Globally, the top-ranked country this year is Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany. The country with the lowest score is Venezuela, then Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Last year, Ethiopia ranked 123rd out of 140 countries surveyed worldwide, falling one position from the previous year.