Rwanda ranked second globally for long-term vision and third for adaptability in the 2026 Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI), which assesses government capabilities and effectiveness across 133 countries. Overall, the country ranked 62nd, with a score of 0.515 on a scale of zero to one, where one represents the highest score. Dinesh Naidu, Director of Knowledge at the Chandler Good Government Index, presented the findings in Kigali during the official launch of the 13th edition of the Rwanda Governance Scorecard, published by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB), alongside the Chandler Good Government Index, on Thursday, October 22. ALSO READ: Safety and security retains top spot on governance scorecard Naidu said Rwanda remained one of the strongest-performing countries in the index and was one of only two African countries in the top half of the 2026 rankings, alongside Mauritius, which ranked 55th globally. Singapore topped the global rankings with a score of 0.884, followed by Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and Luxembourg. He said Rwanda's overall position had fallen over the years partly because the index had expanded from 104 countries six years ago to 133 in 2026. The country ranked 11th globally in the index’s Leadership and Foresight pillar, which covers areas including long-term vision and adaptability. It also ranked 33rd for ethical leadership. The Chandler Governance Group’s regional analysis found that Rwanda had ranked among the world’s top 20 countries for Leadership and Foresight in five of the index’s six editions since 2021. The report links the country’s focus on long-term planning to development frameworks such as Vision 2050 and the National Strategy for Transformation, which set priorities for government institutions. It also identifies Imihigo performance contracts as a mechanism for holding public institutions and local leaders accountable for agreed targets. The index assesses governments across 35 indicators grouped into seven pillars, covering areas such as leadership, institutions, financial management, the business environment and outcomes for citizens. Other rankings Rwanda also performed strongly in some areas related to the business environment and public institutions. In the Attractive Marketplace pillar, it ranked 37th overall and placed eighth globally and first in Africa for stable business regulations, according to Naidu. “This is based on a survey of the business community and experts in each country to assess to what extent government policies create a stable policy climate and environment for new business,” he said. ALSO READ: Rwanda takes top spot in Africa’s 2025 business rankings Other results included 22nd place for both the quality of the judiciary and non-discrimination, 28th for property rights, 39th for quality of bureaucracy and 54th for attracting investment. Rwanda ranked 24th for government coordination and 37th for implementation. However, the results varied across other areas of governance. Rwanda ranked 45th for rule of law, 63rd for regulatory governance and 86th for transparency. It placed 55th overall in the Strong Institutions pillar. On outcomes for citizens, Rwanda ranked 91st in the Helping People Rise pillar, placing 92nd for health, 111th for education and 124th for employment. The non-discrimination indicator measures freedom from discrimination based on factors including socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender identity and faith. Naidu said the Chandler Good Government Index and the Rwanda Governance Scorecard use the same data source to assess non-discrimination, but present the results differently. The international index ranks countries against one another, while the Rwanda Governance Scorecard measures performance against a target.
