New Delhi: India has been ranked 37 out of 102 countries in the Open Government Index, that measures the government openness based on the general public's experiences and perceptions.

In the World Justice Project's (WJP) Open Government Index 2015 report, India was ranked at the 37th place, with an overall score of 0.57, followed by its BRIC peer Brazil at the 38th place.

The WJP Open government index uses four dimensions to measure government openness. Publicised laws and government data, right to information, civic participation and complaint mechanisms. Scores range from 0 to 1 (with 1 indicating greatest openness).

Among the other leading emerging market countries, Russia was ranked at the 67th position and China was placed further down at 87th place.

Moreover, India (37th rank globally) also topped the regional ranking among South Asian countries, followed by Nepal (40th rank), Sri Lanka (52), Bangladesh (73), Pakistan (83) and Afghanistan (89).

In terms of publicised laws and government data, India was assigned a score of 0.54 and was placed at the 27th position globally. In terms of right to information (0.50, 66 rank), civic participation (0.65, 39th rank) and complaint mechanisms (0.58, 43 rank).

The top three overall performers in WJP Open Government Index 2015 are Sweden (1st rank), New Zealand (2nd), and Norway (3rd), while the bottom three are Myanmar (100), Uzbekistan (101), and Zimbabwe (102).

Incidentally, United Kingdom was ranked 8th on the list, while the United States was placed in the 11th place.

The WJP Open Government Index 2015 presents scores and rankings for 102 countries and jurisdictions. Scoring is based on answers from a representative sample of 1,000 respondents in the three largest cities per country and a set of in-country practitioners and academics.

The WJP Open Government Index 2015 is produced by the World Justice Project, an independent, multidisciplinary organisation working to advance the rule of law around the world.