Singapore tops World Governance Indicators and sits at Very Low risk. Myanmar is the opposite. The Philippines is the only High-INFORM peer — and the weakest on rule of law and control of corruption among Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.
WGI, press freedom, and INFORM don’t move together. Timor-Leste can lead on press and still lag government effectiveness. Don’t collapse them into one ranking.
What the comparison shows
The Philippines’ weaker rule-of-law and corruption-control estimates sit alongside a higher INFORM risk classification than its four comparison peers. These are separate signals: the governance estimates describe institutional conditions, while INFORM describes humanitarian risk. Timor-Leste’s press-freedom performance illustrates why a country can look strong in one framework and weaker in another.
Key findings from this pack
- Singapore leads the WGI trio; Myanmar lies at the opposite pole.
- PH trails Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia on rule of law and corruption control.
- PH INFORM risk is High; the four peers are Medium.
- Press freedom does not track WGI: Timor-Leste leads RSF in this set.
The evidence: Philippines and peers
Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Values retain their individual years; missing observations are shown as —.
| Indicator / unit | Philippines | Malaysia | Thailand | Vietnam | Indonesia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government effectivenessWGI estimate | 0.14452024 | 0.91482024 | 0.25362024 | -0.09232024 | 0.17982024 |
| Rule of lawWGI estimate | -0.5742024 | 0.34512024 | -0.21552024 | -0.31392024 | -0.20662024 |
| Control of corruptionWGI estimate | -0.57662024 | 0.49842024 | -0.52732024 | -0.25172024 | -0.54462024 |
| Press freedomscore 0–100 | 46.792026 | 52.732026 | 53.972026 | 21.152026 | 43.022026 |
| INFORM Riskindex 0–10 | 5.42025 | 3.32025 | 4.32025 | 42025 | 4.52025 |
How to interpret the findings
The scales and directions differ. WGI estimates, press-freedom scores and INFORM values should neither be added nor averaged into an overall league table. Their different years and definitions also mean that a cross-sectional comparison does not establish whether institutions are improving or deteriorating.
Coverage and context
WGI, press freedom and INFORM are separate frameworks; no combined ranking.
The table is a comparison of observations, not a combined ranking. The topic guide includes the wider SEA-11 coverage, interactive charts and full methodology.
Open governance & risk →All sources and observation years
S1 · World Bank WGI · year 2024 · as_of 2026-09-06 (pack snapshot)
S2 · RSF World Press Freedom Index · year 2026 · as_of 2026-09-06 (pack snapshot)
S3 · EC INFORM Risk Index v0.7.0 · year 2025 · as_of 2026-09-06 (pack snapshot)
Cite this page
ASEAN in Data (2026). Singapore tops World Governance Indicators and sits at Very Low risk. Myanmar is the opposite. The Philippines is the only High-INFORM peer — and the weakest on rule of law and control of corruption among Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. /insights/governance-risk