Cyprus tops Europe in lawyers but struggles with court delays

Cyprus leads Europe with the highest number of lawyers per capita, with 505 lawyers per 100,000 residents, far above the European average, according to a new Council of Europe report. Despite this, the country struggles with long court delays, including civil and commercial cases taking an average of 1,736 days, and divorce cases the longest at 1,501 days.

The report also highlighted Cyprus' gender balance in the judiciary, where women hold most positions except in top leadership roles. Additionally, Cyprus was praised for its child-friendly court initiative, earning the 2023 "Crystal Scales of Justice" Prize.

While Cyprus allocated over €95 million to its judicial system, the focus remains on public prosecution services, which received 61.6% of the budget. The country is still in the early stages of digitalizing its legal system, despite some recent improvements in administrative case handling, particularly with asylum cases.