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)

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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)

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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
  Constitution 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 Myanmar May 29, 2008 40,492
  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 the People's Republic 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
  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 East Timor May 20, 2002 15,307
  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 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
  Constitution 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[a] February 11, 1889 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 South 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 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[b][2] August 24, 1815[3] 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
  Constitution 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 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
  Constitution of Syria February 27, 2012 8,154
  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 Togo October 14, 1992 10,252
  Constitution of Tonga November 4, 1875 10,192
  Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago[5] 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

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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

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Territory Date
  Constitution of American Samoa October 17, 1960
  Constitution of Aruba January 1, 1986
  Constitution of the British Virgin Islands June 15, 2007
  Constitution of Curaçao October 10, 2010
  Constitution of the Falkland Islands January 1, 2009
  Constitution of Gibraltar January 2, 2007
  Hong Kong Basic Law April 4, 1990
  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

Uncodified constitutions

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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

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Afghanistan

Brazil

Bulgaria

China

Colombia

Cuba

Czechoslovakia

Egypt

France

Germany

Hawaii

Iran

Italy

Mexico

Poland

Portugal

Russia

South Africa

Turkey

Ukraine

United States

Yugoslavia

Other States

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ In 1947 the constitution was almost entirely rewritten.
  2. ^ In 1983 the constitution was almost entirely rewritten.

References

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  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. ^ "Oldest Constitutions Still Being Used Today". WorldAtlas. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 2019-05-13.