Governance indicators: compare the dimensions before the rank

What each column asks

Rule of law

Perceptions of contract enforcement, property rights, courts, police and crime. Series RL.EST.

Control of corruption

Perceptions of public power used for private gain, including capture by private interests. Series CC.EST.

Government effectiveness

Perceptions of public services, policy implementation and the credibility of commitments. Series GE.EST.

Regulatory quality

Perceptions of the capacity to make and implement policies that support private sector development. Series RQ.EST.

Political stability and absence of violence/terrorism

Perceptions of political instability and politically motivated violence, including terrorism. Series PV.EST.

Voice and accountability

Perceptions of participation in selecting government, freedom of expression, association and media. Series VA.EST.

Definitions: WGI documentation.

An estimate of 1.0 is not a 100% score

The .EST series use standard statistical units, typically around −2.5 to +2.5; that interval is not a hard bound. Larger estimates indicate stronger measured outcomes within a dimension. They are neither percentile ranks nor the World Bank's separate fixed-reference 0–100 scores. We preserve their scale.

For an illustrative comparison, rule-of-law estimates of 1.20 and 1.10 differ by 0.10 statistical units. It does not mean enforcement is 9% better. The source publishes standard errors, which are not stored here. A close gap cannot establish a meaningful difference without checking that uncertainty. How estimates and uncertainty are reported.

A useful comparison starts with a specific question

For a commercial market study, start with the dimensions relevant to the operating model. Contract-heavy businesses may investigate rule of law; a regulated product may require closer work on regulatory quality. Compare peer markets in the same reference year and inspect the underlying evidence. A national aggregate cannot tell you how a particular industry, city, court or supplier will behave.

Keep the dimensions separate in a client brief. If two markets exchange places when you switch from rule of law to accountability, the useful finding is their different institutional profiles. Averaging those columns would hide the tradeoff you need to investigate.