The Gallup Global Law and Order Index is a key metric of the world’s sense of personal security and experiences with crime and law enforcement. The 2023 report, based on interviews with over 146,000 adults in more than 140 countries and areas in 2022, provides a snapshot of the global state of law and order.
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Methodology
The Law and Order Index uses four questions to access people’s sense of personal security and their personal experiences with crime and law enforcement. The questions are:
- In the city or area where you live, do you have confidence in the local police force?
- Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
- Within the last 12 months, have you had money or property stolen from you or another household member?
- Within the past 12 months, have you been assaulted or mugged?
Gallup compiles the “positive” responses to these four questions into a Law and Order Index score for each country. The higher the score, the higher the proportion of the population that reports feeling safe.
Key Findings of The Gallup Global Law and Order Index 2023
The index score for the world in 2022 was 83 out of a possible 100. This suggests that most people worldwide feel secure and have confidence in their local polic. One security metric — the proportion of people who feel safe walking alone around the area where they live — showed no improvement, while people’s confidence in the police rose two percentage points. Both percentages remain higher than at almost all points since 2006.
Top 10 Highest Ranked Countries in the Index
The 2023 report revealed that Singapore ranked the highest with a score of 96. Following Singapore, the top ten countries were:
- Tajikistan – 96
- Finland – 92
- Iceland – 92
- Kuwait – 92
- Luxembourg – 92
- China – 94
- Austria – 92
- Norway – 92
- Switzerland – 92
- United Arab Emirates – 92
These countries have shown exemplary performance in maintaining law and order, and ensuring the safety and security of their citizens.
Top 10 Lowest Ranked Countries in the Index
- Venezuela
- Cambodia
- Afghanistan
- Haiti
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- South Africa
- Republic of the Congo
- Sierra Leone
- The Gambia
- Liberia
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These countries scored the lowest in the index, indicating that their citizens have the least sense of personal security and have had the most negative experiences with crime and law enforcement.
Implications for Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 16 aims to “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. The Gallup Global Law and Order Index 2023 provides an update on people’s perceptions of their own security and trust in the rule of law in 2022.
