Although the public tend to interact with their country’s judicial system less frequently than with their health or education systems, trust in the judiciary serves as a valuable indicator of public perceptions about its independence, quality and effectiveness. High levels of trust in the judicial system are also a sign of functioning checks and balances, which are essential for healthy democratic systems (OECD, 2021). Across OECD countries with data available, 54% of people have high or moderately high trust in the judicial system on average, a share which has declined by 3 percentage points between 2021 and 2023. Out of the 21 countries with data available for both 2021 and 2023, 10 saw a rise in trust levels. The largest increases were in Colombia (+14 p.p., from 19% in 2021 to 33% in 2023) and France (+8 p.p. from 42% in 2021 to 50% in 2023). Denmark and Norway maintained trust levels of over 75% in both years, demonstrating strong and stable confidence in their judicial institutions (Figure 4.7).
Access to justice refers to the capacity of individuals, businesses and communities to effectively, fairly and promptly resolve legal issues and address their justice-related needs. In 2024, OECD countries achieved an average score of 0.61 on a scale of 0 to 1 in the accessibility and affordability of civil justice, as measured by the World Justice Project (WJP) Rule of Law Index. This represents a one point fall compared to the 2021 result. The top performers in this dimension are Sweden (0.80), Denmark (0.79) and Lithuania (0.78), with Lithuania also having achieved the greatest improvement since 2021 (+0.08). Two other countries making notable advances on this measure were Hungary (+0.07) and New Zealand (+0.05) since 2021 (Figure 4.8).
An independent justice system is critical not only for the fair resolution of legal disputes but also for maintaining public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of judicial processes. In 2024, the average score among OECD countries for freedom from improper government influence in judicial processes reached 0.73 points out of a on a scale of 0 to 1. This indicates a general perception of robust judicial independence, although there were significant variations across countries. The countries with the highest scores in 2024 were Norway (0.94), Ireland (0.92), Denmark (0.92) and Germany (0.91). Slovenia and Poland have recorded the most improvement since 2021, with their scores increasing by 0.07 points and 0.06 points respectively (Figure 4.9).
