List of national constitutions

The following is a list of national constitutions by country, semi-recognized countries, and by codification.

Codified constitutions (most recent, in use today)

A codified constitution is a constitution that is contained in a single document, which is the single source of constitutional law in a state. An uncodified constitution is one that is not contained in a single document, but consists of several different sources, which may be written or unwritten.

Sovereign states (UN member and observer states)

State Date ratified Word count[1]
None (see Constitution of Afghanistan) August 15, 2021 —
Constitution of Albania November 28, 1998 13,826
Constitution of Algeria December 8, 1996 10,038
Constitution of Andorra February 2, 1993 8,740
Constitution of Angola January 21, 2010 27,181
Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda October 31, 1981 38,464
Constitution of Argentina May 1, 1853 12,514
Constitution of Armenia July 5, 1995 13,786
Constitution of Australia January 1, 1901 17,318
Constitution of Austria October 1, 1920 41,366
Constitution of Azerbaijan November 12, 1995 17,354
Law of the Bahamas 1973 41,835
Constitution of Bahrain February 14, 2002 10,806
Constitution of Bangladesh November 4, 1972 27,643
Constitution of Barbados November 30, 1966 34,144
Constitution of Belarus March 15, 1994 13,278
Constitution of Belgium February 7, 1831 16,119
Constitution of Belize September 21, 1981 39,629
Constitution of Benin December 2, 1990 11,386
Constitution of Bhutan July 18, 2008 13,632
Constitution of Bolivia February 7, 2009 39,375
Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina December 14, 1995 5,454
Constitution of Botswana September 30, 1966 30,713
Constitution of Brazil October 5, 1988 64,488
Constitution of Brunei 1959 13,869
Constitution of Bulgaria July 12, 1991 13,641
Constitution of Burkina Faso June 11, 1991 10,030
Constitution of Burundi March 9, 1992 17,574
Constitution of Cambodia 1993 8,936
Constitution of Cameroon January 18, 1996 8,444
Constitution of Cape Verde 1992 32,132
Constitution of the Central African Republic March 27, 2016 9,767
Constitution of Chad March 31, 1996 11,768
Constitution of Chile September 11, 1980 25,821
Constitution of China December 4, 1982 10,960
Constitution of Colombia July 4, 1991 46,902
Constitution of the Comoros December 23, 2001 6,185
Constitution of the Republic of the Congo 2001 9,970
Constitution of the Democratic Republic of the Congo February 18, 2006 19,285
Politics of the Cook Islands
Constitution of Costa Rica November 7, 1949 16,705
Constitution of Croatia December 22, 1990 10,898
Constitution of Cuba April 10, 2019 12,893
Constitution of Cyprus August 16, 1960 37,006
Constitution of the Czech Republic December 16, 1992 14,580
Constitution of Denmark May 25, 1849 6,221
Constitution of Djibouti September 15, 1992 6,666
Constitution of Dominica 1978 36,080
Constitution of the Dominican Republic January 26, 2010 29,710
Constitution of Ecuador October 20, 2008 54,555
Constitution of Egypt January 18, 2014 22,626
Constitution of El Salvador December 20, 1983 22,823
Constitution of Equatorial Guinea November 17, 1991 5,575
Constitution of Eritrea May 23, 1997 6,753
Constitution of Estonia June 28, 1992 11,344
Constitution of Eswatini 2005 48,604
Constitution of Ethiopia August 21, 1995 13,630
Constitution of Fiji September 6, 2013 40,773
Constitution of Finland March 1, 2000 12,640
Constitution of France October 4, 1958 10,180
Constitution of Gabon 1991 11,804
Constitution of the Gambia January 16, 1997 43,465
Constitution of Georgia (country) August 24, 1995 11,490
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany May 8, 1949 27,379
Constitution of Ghana April 28, 1992 53,985
Constitution of Greece June 11, 1975 26,989
Politics of Grenada 1991 33,737
Constitution of Guatemala January 14, 1986 28,692
Constitution of Guinea May 7, 2010 12,707
Constitution of Guinea-Bissau May 6, 1984 7,820
Constitution of Guyana October 6, 1980 46,221
Constitution of Haiti June 20, 2012 18,488
Constitution of Honduras January 20, 1982 23,434
Constitution of Hungary April 18, 2011 15,247
Constitution of Iceland June 17, 1944 4,089
Constitution of India November 26, 1949 146,385
Constitution of Indonesia August 18, 1945 5,915
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran December 3, 1979 16,179
Constitution of Iraq October 15, 2005 11,550
Constitution of Ireland December 29, 1937 16,007
Constitution of Italy December 22, 1947 11,708
Constitution of Ivory Coast November 8, 2016 7,897
Constitution of Jamaica January 1, 1962 38,048
Constitution of Japan February 11, 1889[a] 4,998
Constitution of Jordan January 11, 1952 10,239
Constitution of Kazakhstan August 30, 1995 13,482
Constitution of Kenya August 27, 2010 48,818
Constitution of Kiribati 1979 26,080
Constitution of North Korea December 25, 1972 7,364
Constitution of the Republic of Korea July 17, 1948 9,059
Constitution of Kuwait November 11, 1962 8,197
Constitution of Kyrgyzstan June 27, 2010 14,327
Constitution of Laos August 14, 1991 4,820
Constitution of Latvia November 7, 1922 4,917
Constitution of Lebanon May 23, 1926 6,296
Constitution of Lesotho 1993 45,532
Constitution of Liberia January 6, 1986 11,667
Constitution of Liechtenstein October 5, 1921 9,513
Constitution of Lithuania October 25, 1992 12,214
Constitution of Luxembourg October 17, 1868 5,601
Libyan interim Constitutional Declaration August 3, 2011 Not documented by source
Constitution of Madagascar November 14, 2010 15,759
Constitution of Malawi May 16, 1994 33,422
Constitution of Malaysia August 27, 1957 64,080
Constitution of the Maldives August 7, 2008 23,991
Constitution of Mali January 12, 1992 7,503
Constitution of Malta September 21, 1964 31,820
Constitution of the Marshall Islands 1979 21,429
Constitution of Mauritania July 12, 1991 6,997
Constitution of Mauritius March 12, 1968 37,320
Constitution of Mexico February 5, 1917 57,087
Constitution of the Federated States of Micronesia October 1, 1978 5,271
Constitution of Moldova July 29, 1994 12,818
Constitution of Monaco December 17, 1962 3,814
Constitution of Mongolia January 13, 1992 8,250
Constitution of Montenegro October 19, 2007 11,572
Constitution of Morocco December 14, 1962 15,897
Constitution of Mozambique December 21, 2004 24,171
Constitution of Myanmar May 29, 2008 40,492
Constitution of Namibia February 9, 1990 24,198
Constitution of Nauru January 31, 1968 13,714
Constitution of Nepal September 20, 2015 32,753
Constitution of the Netherlands[2] August 24, 1815[3][b] 8,739
Constitution of Nicaragua January 1, 1987 20,535
Constitution of Niger November 25, 2010 14,806
Constitution of Nigeria May 29, 1999 66,263
Constitution of North Macedonia November 17, 1991 13,486
Constitution of Norway May 17, 1814 7,307
Basic Statute of Oman November 6, 1996[4] 7,233
Constitution of Pakistan August 14, 1973 56,240
Constitution of Palau July 9, 1980 Not documented by source
Palestinian National Covenant May 28, 1964 Not documented by source
Constitution of Panama October 11, 1972 26,097
Constitution of Papua New Guinea September 16, 1975 58,490
Constitution of Paraguay June 20, 1992 25,461
Constitution of Peru December 31, 1993 19,216
Constitution of the Philippines February 2, 1987 21,954
Constitution of Poland April 2, 1997 19,602
Constitution of Portugal April 25, 1976 35,219
Constitution of Qatar April 9, 2004 6,848
Constitution of Romania November 21, 1991 14,663
Constitution of Russia December 12, 1993 12,908
Constitution of Rwanda May 26, 2003 16,940
Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis June 23, 1983 49,643
Constitution of Saint Lucia 1978 38,271
Politics of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1979 Not documented by source
Constitution of Samoa October 28, 1960 19,611
Constitution of São Tomé and Príncipe November 5, 1975 7,988
Basic Law of Saudi Arabia March 1, 1992 6,335
Constitution of Senegal January 1, 2001 10,866
Constitution of Serbia November 8, 2006 19,891
Constitution of Seychelles 1993 39,729
Constitution of Sierra Leone 1996 44,636
Constitution of Singapore August 9, 1965 40,076
Constitution of Slovakia October 1, 1992 18,402
Constitution of Slovenia December 23, 1991 11,406
Constitution of Solomon Islands May 31, 1978 31,826
Constitution of Somalia August 1, 2012 19,823
Constitution of South Africa February 4, 1997 43,062
Constitution of South Korea July 17, 1948 20,172
Constitution of South Sudan July 9, 2011 27,191
Constitution of Spain December 6, 1978 17,608
Constitution of Sri Lanka September 7, 1978 40,085
Constitution of Sudan August 4, 2019 —
Constitution of Suriname September 30, 1987 12,488
Swiss Federal Constitution April 18, 1999 16,484
Interim Constitution of Syria March 13, 2025 6,800
Constitution of Tajikistan November 6, 1994 7,917
Constitution of Tanzania April 25, 1977 35,651
Constitution of Thailand April 6, 2017 7,683
Constitution of Timor-Leste May 20, 2002 15,307
Constitution of Togo May 6, 2024 10,252
Constitution of Tonga November 4, 1875 10,192
Politics of Trinidad and Tobago[5][6] March 29, 1976 32,567
Constitution of Tunisia January 26, 2014 9,508
Constitution of Turkey November 7, 1982 29,727
Constitution of Turkmenistan May 18, 1992 5,735
Constitution of Tuvalu 1986 34,801
Constitution of Uganda October 8, 1995 49,448
Constitution of Ukraine June 28, 1996 19,299
Constitution of the United States June 21, 1788 7,762
Constitution of the United Arab Emirates December 2, 1971 11,557
Constitution of Uruguay July 18, 1830 29,911
Constitution of Uzbekistan December 8, 1992 7,941
Constitution of Vanuatu July 30, 1980 8,425
Fundamental Law of Vatican City State November 26, 2000 Not documented by source
Constitution of Venezuela December 20, 1999 37,344
Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam November 28, 2013 11,344
Constitution of Yemen May 16, 1991 Not documented by source
Constitution of Zambia 2016 30,696
Constitution of Zimbabwe May 9, 2013 55,883

Unrecognized and partially recognized countries

Country Date
Constitution of Abkhazia October 3, 1999
Constitution of the Republic of China December 25, 1947
(amended May 1, 1991)
Constitution of Kosovo June 15, 2008
Constitution of Northern Cyprus May 5, 1985
Constitution of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic August 1976
Constitution of Somaliland May 31, 2001
Constitution of South Ossetia April 8, 2001
Constitution of Transnistria January 17, 1996

Dependent territories

Territory Date
Constitution of American Samoa October 17, 1960
Law of Anguilla
Constitution of Aruba January 1, 1986
Law of Bermuda
Constitution of the British Virgin Islands June 15, 2007
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Constitution of Curaçao October 10, 2010
Constitution of the Falkland Islands January 1, 2009
Constitution of Gibraltar January 2, 2007
Guam Organic Act of 1950
Hong Kong Basic Law April 4, 1990
Law of the Isle of Man
Macau Basic Law March 31, 1993
Niue Constitution Act October 19, 1974
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Constitution January 1, 1978
Constitution of Puerto Rico July 25, 1952
Constitution of Sint Maarten October 10, 2010
Constitution of the Turks and Caicos Islands October 15, 2012
Politics of the United States Virgin Islands

Uncodified constitutions

An uncodified constitution is one where not all elements are written into law. Typically some elements, such as constitutional conventions, are not written into law. Such elements are almost always written down somewhere (perhaps across multiple documents and/or publications), however written in documents that are not enforceable in law. Approximate dates have been listed below based on fundamental founding documents on governance of the respective countries.

Former constitutions

Afghanistan

Brazil

Bulgaria

China

Colombia

Cuba

Czechoslovakia

Egypt

France

Germany

Hawaii

Iran

Italy

Mexico

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Syria

South Africa

Turkey

Ukraine

United States

Yugoslavia

Other States

See also

Notes

  1. ^ almost entirely rewritten in 1947
  2. ^ almost entirely rewritten in 1983

References

Wikisource has original works on the topic: Constitutional documents
  1. ^ "Constitution Rankings". Comparative Constitutions Project. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  2. ^ Subordinated to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  3. ^ "Grondwet - Militair Rechtelijk Tijdschrift". puc.overheid.nl. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
  4. ^ "Basic Statute of the State" (PDF). Royal Decree 101/96. Ministry of Legal Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. ^ "Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago Act" (PDF). Organization of American States. December 31, 2009. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  6. ^ "Constitutional Instruments". Digital Legislative Library.
  7. ^ "Oldest Constitutions Still Being Used Today". WorldAtlas. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
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