| Countries (A to Z) |
Description |
| Afghanistan |
new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004 |
| Akrotiri |
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 |
| Albania |
adopted by popular referendum on 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998 |
| Algeria |
8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 |
| American Samoa |
ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 |
| Andorra |
Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 28 April 1993 |
| Angola |
adopted by People's Assembly 25 August 1992 |
| Anguilla |
Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 |
| Antigua and Barbuda |
1 November 1981 |
| Argentina |
1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860 |
| Armenia |
adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005 |
| Aruba |
1 January 1986 |
| Australia |
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 |
| Austria |
1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945 |
| Azerbaijan |
adopted 12 November 1995 |
| Bahamas, The |
10 July 1973 |
| Bahrain |
adopted 14 February 2002 |
| Bangladesh |
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times |
| Barbados |
30 November 1966 |
| Belarus |
15 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits |
| Belgium |
7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state |
| Belize |
21 September 1981 |
| Benin |
adopted by referendum 2 December 1990 |
| Bermuda |
8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 |
| Bhutan |
none; note - a draft constitution was unveiled in March 2005 and is expected to be adopted following the election of a new National Assembly in 2008 |
| Bolivia |
2 February 1967; revised in August 1994; referendum on new constitution to be held 6 August 2007 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina |
the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995 in Paris, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution |
| Botswana |
March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 |
| Brazil |
5 October 1988 |
| British Virgin Islands |
1 June 1977, amended in 2000 |
| Brunei |
29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) |
| Bulgaria |
adopted 12 July 1991 |
| Burkina Faso |
2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; last amended January 2002 |
| Burma |
3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition |
| Burundi |
28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum |
| Cambodia |
promulgated 21 September 1993 |
| Cameroon |
20 May 1972 approved by referendum, adopted 2 June 1972; revised January 1996 |
| Canada |
made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments |
| Cape Verde |
25 September 1992; a major revision on 23 November 1995 substantially increased the powers of the president; a 1999 revision created the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica) |
| Cayman Islands |
1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 |
| Central African Republic |
ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004 |
| Chad |
passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits |
| Chile |
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005 |
| China |
most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 |
| Christmas Island |
Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 |
| Colombia |
5 July 1991; amended many times |
| Comoros |
23 December 2001 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the |
18 February 2006 |
| Congo, Republic of the |
approved by referendum 20 January 2002 |
| Cook Islands |
4 August 1965 |
| Costa Rica |
7 November 1949 |
| Croatia |
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 |
| Cuba |
24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002 |
| Cyprus |
16 August 1960 |
| Czech Republic |
ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 |
| Côte d'Ivoire |
approved by referendum 23 July 2000 |
| Denmark |
5 June 1953 constitution allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state |
| Dhekelia |
Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960 |
| Djibouti |
multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 |
| Dominica |
3 November 1978 |
| Dominican Republic |
28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 |
| East Timor |
22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) |
| Ecuador |
10 August 1998 |
| Egypt |
11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 and 25 May 2005 |
| El Salvador |
20 December 1983 |
| Equatorial Guinea |
approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 |
| Eritrea |
a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented |
| Estonia |
adopted 28 June 1992 |
| Ethiopia |
ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 |
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) |
3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998 |
| Faroe Islands |
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) |
| Fiji |
enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 |
| Finland |
1 March 2000 |
| France |
adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958 |
| French Polynesia |
4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Gabon |
adopted 14 March 1991 |
| Gambia, The |
approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; effective 16 January 1997 |
| Georgia |
adopted 24 August 1995 |
| Germany |
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united Germany 3 October 1990 |
| Ghana |
approved 28 April 1992 |
| Gibraltar |
30 May 1969 |
| Greece |
11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 |
| Greenland |
5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) |
| Grenada |
19 December 1973 |
| Guam |
Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950 |
| Guatemala |
31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President Jorge SERRANO; reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president; amended November 1993 |
| Guernsey |
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Guinea |
23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) |
| Guinea-Bissau |
16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and in 1996 |
| Guyana |
6 October 1980 |
| Haiti |
approved March 1987; suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989; constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution; returned to constitutional rule in October 1994; constitution, while technically in force between 2004-2006, was not enforced; returned to constitutional rule in May 2006 |
| Holy See (Vatican City) |
new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929) |
| Honduras |
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times |
| Hong Kong |
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" |
| Hungary |
18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949; revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system |
| Iceland |
16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times |
| India |
26 January 1950; amended many times |
| Indonesia |
August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amendments concluded in 2002 |
| Iran |
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership |
| Iraq |
ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum in 2007) |
| Ireland |
adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937 |
| Israel |
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft constitution |
| Italy |
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times |
| Jamaica |
6 August 1962 |
| Japan |
3 May 1947 |
| Jersey |
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Jordan |
1 January 1952; amended many times |
| Kazakhstan |
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995 |
| Kenya |
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005 |
| Kiribati |
12 July 1979 |
| Korea, North |
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998 |
| Korea, South |
17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times; current constitution approved on 29 October 1987 |
| Kuwait |
approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 |
| Kyrgyzstan |
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in November 2006, President BAKIYEV and the opposition negotiated a new constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some power back to the president |
| Laos |
promulgated 14 August 1991 |
| Latvia |
15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21 August 1991; multiple amendments since |
| Lebanon |
23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 |
| Lesotho |
2 April 1993 |
| Liberia |
6 January 1986 |
| Libya |
none; note - following the September 1969 military overthrow of the Libyan government, the Revolutionary Command Council replaced the existing constitution with the Constitutional Proclamation in December 1969; in March 1977, Libya adopted the Declaration of the Establishment of the People's Authority |
| Liechtenstein |
5 October 1921 |
| Lithuania |
adopted 25 October 1992 |
| Luxembourg |
17 October 1868; occasional revisions |
| Macau |
Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" |
| Macedonia, Republic of |
adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary |
| Madagascar |
19 August 1992 by national referendum |
| Malawi |
18 May 1994 |
| Malaysia |
31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963 |
| Maldives |
adopted 1 January 1998 |
| Mali |
adopted 12 January 1992 |
| Malta |
1964 constitution; amended many times |
| Man, Isle of |
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution |
| Marshall Islands |
1 May 1979 |
| Mauritania |
12 July 1991 |
| Mauritius |
12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992 |
| Mayotte |
4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Mexico |
5 February 1917 |
| Micronesia, Federated States of |
10 May 1979 |
| Moldova |
new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979 |
| Monaco |
17 December 1962 |
| Mongolia |
12 February 1992 |
| Montserrat |
effective 19 December 1989 |
| Morocco |
10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 |
| Mozambique |
30 November 1990 |
| Namibia |
ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 |
| Nauru |
29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day) |
| Nepal |
9 November 1990; the government began working on an interim constitution in May 2006 |
| Netherlands |
adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002 |
| Netherlands Antilles |
29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended |
| New Caledonia |
4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| New Zealand |
consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 |
| Nicaragua |
9 January 1987; reforms in 1995, 2000, and 2005 |
| Niger |
new constitution adopted 18 July 1999 |
| Nigeria |
new constitution adopted 5 May 1999; effective 29 May 1999 |
| Niue |
19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) |
| Norfolk Island |
Norfolk Island Act of 1979, as amended in 2005 |
| Northern Mariana Islands |
Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986 |
| Norway |
17 May 1814; amended many times |
| Oman |
none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens |
| Pakistan |
12 April 1973; suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003 |
| Palau |
1 January 1981 |
| Panama |
11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004 |
| Papua New Guinea |
16 September 1975 |
| Paraguay |
promulgated 20 June 1992 |
| Peru |
29 December 1993 |
| Philippines |
2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987 |
| Pitcairn Islands |
30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964 |
| Poland |
adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997 |
| Portugal |
adopted 2 April 1976; effective 25 April 1976; revised many times |
| Puerto Rico |
ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952 |
| Qatar |
ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005 |
| Romania |
8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003 |
| Russia |
adopted 12 December 1993 |
| Rwanda |
new constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003 |
| Saint Helena |
1 January 1989 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis |
19 September 1983 |
| Saint Lucia |
22 February 1979 |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
27 October 1979 |
| Samoa |
1 January 1962 |
| San Marino |
8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution |
| Saudi Arabia |
governed according to Islamic law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was promulgated by royal decree in 1992 |
| Senegal |
adopted 7 January 2001 |
| Serbia and Montenegro |
adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006 |
| Seychelles |
18 June 1993 |
| Sierra Leone |
1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times |
| Singapore |
3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) |
| Slovakia |
ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president; amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership |
| Slovenia |
adopted 23 December 1991 |
| Solomon Islands |
7 July 1978 |
| Somalia |
25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 |
| South Africa |
10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 4 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases |
| Spain |
approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 |
| Sri Lanka |
adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 |
| Sudan |
constitution implemented on 30 June 1998, partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR; under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005; Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005 |
| Suriname |
ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987 |
| Swaziland |
signed by the King in July 2005 went into effect on 8 February 2006 |
| Sweden |
1 January 1975 |
| Switzerland |
revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000 |
| Syria |
13 March 1973 |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |
approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 |
| Taiwan |
25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 |
| Tajikistan |
6 November 1994 |
| Tanzania |
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984 |
| Thailand |
constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997; abrogated on 19 September 2006 after coup; interim constitution promulgated on 1 October 2006; coup leaders have promised new constitution by end of 2007 |
| Togo |
multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 |
| Tokelau |
administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 |
| Tonga |
4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 |
| Trinidad and Tobago |
1 August 1976 |
| Tunisia |
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002 |
| Turkey |
7 November 1982 |
| Turkmenistan |
adopted 18 May 1992 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands |
Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006) |
| Tuvalu |
1 October 1978 |
| Uganda |
8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system |
| Ukraine |
adopted 28 June 1996 |
| United Arab Emirates |
2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 |
| United Kingdom |
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| United States |
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 |
| Uruguay |
27 November 1966, effective 15 February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 |
| Uzbekistan |
adopted 8 December 1992 |
| Vanuatu |
30 July 1980 |
| Venezuela |
30 December 1999 |
| Vietnam |
15 April 1992 |
| Virgin Islands |
Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
| Wallis and Futuna |
4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
| Yemen |
16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 |
| Zambia |
24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits |
| Zimbabwe |
21 December 1979 |
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