Field Listing :: Constitution
This entry includes the dates of adoption, revisions, and major amendments.
Country
Constitution
Afghanistan sixth constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004; ratified 26 January 2004
Akrotiri Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960, functions as a basic legal document
Albania approved by parliament 21 October 1998; adopted by popular referendum 22 November 1998; promulgated 28 November 1998
Algeria 8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976; effective 22 November 1976; revised several times
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 National Assembly 5 February 2010
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 1 October 1920; revised 1929; reinstated 1 May 1945; revised many times; note - during the period 1 May 1934-1 May 1945 there was a fascist (corporative) constitution in place
Azerbaijan adopted 12 November 1995; modified by referendum 24 August 2002
Bahamas, The 10 July 1973
Bahrain adopted 14 February 2002
Bangladesh enacted 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 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers; became effective 27 November 1996; revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits
Belgium drafted 25 November 1830; approved by a Belgium National Congress 7 February 1831; entered into force 26 July 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state; in 1967 an official Dutch version of the constitution was adopted; in 1991 an official German version of the constitution was adopted; in 1993 an official consolidated version of the constitution was adopted
Belize 21 September 1981
Benin adopted by referendum 2 December 1990
Bermuda 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003
Bhutan ratified 18 July 2008
Bolivia 7 February 2009
Bosnia and Herzegovina the Dayton Peace Accords, signed 14 December 1995 in Paris, included a constitution; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution
Botswana March 1965; effective 30 September 1966
Brazil 5 October 1988
British Virgin Islands 13 June 2007
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 approved by referendum 2 June 1991; formally adopted 11 June 1991; last amended January 2002
Burma approved by referendum 29 May 2008; reformed by a series of acts in 2011
Burundi ratified by popular referendum 28 February 2005
Cambodia promulgated 21 September 1993
Cameroon approved by referendum 20 May 1972; adopted 2 June 1972; revised January 1996; amended April 2008
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 The Cayman Islands Constitution Order 2009, 6 November 2009
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 several times
China most recent promulgation 4 December 1982; amended several times
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
Cote d'Ivoire approved by referendum 23 July 2000
Croatia adopted 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
Cuba 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002
Curacao Staatsregeling adopted by island council 5 September 2010; entered into force 10 October 2010; revised Kingdom Charter pending
Cyprus 16 August 1960
note: from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer participated in the government; negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently since the mid-1960s; in 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which they then called the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)" when the Turkish Cypriots declared independence in 1983; a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5 May 1985, although the "TRNC" remains unrecognized by any country other than Turkey
Czech Republic ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993; amended several times
Denmark 5 June 1953; note - 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, functions as a basic legal document
Djibouti approved by referendum 4 September 1992; note - constitution allows for multiparties
Dominica 3 November 1978
Dominican Republic 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 and January 2010
Ecuador 20 October 2008; this is Ecuador's 20th constitution
Egypt provisional constitution passed by referendum 19 March 2011; adopted 30 March 2011
El Salvador 20 December 1983
Equatorial Guinea approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995
Eritrea adopted 23 May 1997, but has not yet been fully implemented
Estonia adopted 28 June 1992
Ethiopia ratified 8 December 1994, effective 22 August 1995
European Union none
note: the EU legal order, although based on a series of treaties, has often been described as "constitutional" in nature; the Treaty on European Union (TEU), as modified by the Lisbon Treaty, states in Article 1 that "the HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES establish among themselves a EUROPEAN UNION ... on which the Member States confer competences to attain objectives they have in common"; Article 1 of the TEU states further that the EU is "founded on the present Treaty and on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (hereinafter referred to as 'the Treaties')," both possessing the same legal value; Article 6 of the TEU provides that a separately adopted Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union "shall have the same legal value as the Treaties"
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 1 January 2009
Faroe Islands 5 June 1953 (Danish Constitution)
Fiji enacted 25 July 1997; effective 28 July 1998; note - constitution encourages multiculturalism and makes multiparty government mandatory
Finland 1 March 2000
France adopted by referendum 28 September 1958; effective 4 October 1958; amended many times
note: amended in 1962 concerning election of president; amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1997 Amsterdam Treaty, 2003 Treaty of Nice; amended in 1993 to tighten immigration laws; amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term; amended in 2005 to make the EU constitutional treaty compatible with the Constitution of France and to ensure that the decision to ratify EU accession treaties would be made by referendum
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 5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007
Greece 11 June 1975; amended March 1986, April 2001, and May 2008
Greenland (June 2009) Act on Greenland Self Government
Grenada 19 December 1973
Guam Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950
Guatemala 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; suspended 25 May 1993; reinstated 5 June 1993; amended November 1993
Guernsey unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Guinea 7 May 2010 (Loi Fundamentale)
Guinea-Bissau 16 May 1984; amended several times
Guyana 6 October 1980
Haiti approved March 1987; this is Haiti's 23rd constitution
Holy See (Vatican City) Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaced the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Honduras 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended many times
Hong Kong The Basic Law, approved March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's charter
Hungary 25 April 2011, effective 1 January 2012
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
note: the revision in 1989 expanded powers of the presidency and eliminated the prime ministership
Iraq ratified 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum)
Ireland adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937
Isle of Man unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution
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, amended May 2007
Kenya 27 August 2010; the new constitution abolishes the position of prime minister and establishes a bicameral legislature; many details have yet to be finalized and will require significant legislative action
Kiribati 12 July 1979
Korea, North adopted 1948; revised several times
Korea, South 17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten many times; current constitution approved 29 October 1987
Kosovo adopted by the Kosovo Assembly 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008
Kuwait approved and promulgated 11 November 1962
Kyrgyzstan 27 June 2010
Laos promulgated 14 August 1991; amended in 2003
Latvia 15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council 21 August 1991; multiple amendments since
Lebanon 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently in 1990 to include changes necessitated by the Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989
Lesotho 2 April 1993
Liberia 6 January 1986
Libya 7 February 2011 draft (temporary) constitution of the Transitional National Council; 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; in September 2011 the UN recognized the Transitional National Council as the legitimate interim government
Liechtenstein 5 October 1921; amended 15 September 2003
Lithuania adopted 25 October 1992; last amended 13 July 2004
Luxembourg 17 October 1868; occasional revisions
Macau The Basic Law, approved 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's charter
Macedonia adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991; amended November 2001, 2005, and in 2009
note: amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights, in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary, and in 2009 with amendments related to the threshold required to elect the president
Madagascar passed by referendum 17 November 2010; promulgated 11 December 2010 (2010)
Malawi 18 May 1994
Malaysia 31 August 1957; amended many times
Maldives new constitution ratified 7 August 2008
Mali adopted 12 January 1992
Malta 1964; amended many times
Marshall Islands 1 May 1979
Mauritania 12 July 1991
Mauritius 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992
Mexico 5 February 1917
Micronesia, Federated States of 10 May 1979
Moldova adopted 29 July 1994; effective 27 August 1994; note - replaced 1979 Soviet Constitution
Monaco 17 December 1962; modified 2 April 2002
Mongolia 13 January 1992
Montenegro approved 19 October 2007 (by the Assembly)
Montserrat Montserrat Constitution Order 2010, effective 1 September 2011
Morocco 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended September 1996; constitutional reforms weakening the King's power approved in referendum 1 July 2011
Mozambique 30 November 1990
Namibia ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990
Nauru 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968
Nepal 15 January 2007 (interim Constitution); note - in April 2008, a Constituent Assembly was elected as an interim parliament to draft and promulgate a new constitution by May 2010; the deadline has been extended four times, most recently until May 2012
Netherlands adopted 1815; amended many times
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; revised in 1995, 2000, and 2005
Niger adopted 31 October 2010
Nigeria 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 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002; amended 31 December 2003; suspended 3 November 2007; restored 15 December 2007; amended 19 April 2010
Palau 1 January 1981
Panama 11 October 1972; revised several times
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 The Pitcairn Constitution Order 2010, effective 4 March 2010
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; subsequently revised
note: the revisions placed the military under strict civilian control, trimmed the powers of the president, and laid the groundwork for a stable, pluralistic liberal democracy; they allowed for the privatization of nationalized firms and government-owned communications media
Puerto Rico ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
Qatar ratified by public referendum 29 April 2003; endorsed by the Amir 8 June 2004, effective 9 June 2005
Romania 8 December 1991; revised 29 October 2003
Russia adopted 12 December 1993
Rwanda constitution passed by referendum 26 May 2003
Saint Barthelemy 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha the Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Constitution Order 2009, effective 1 September 2009
Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983
Saint Lucia 22 February 1979
Saint Martin 4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
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
Sao Tome and Principe approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990
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; amended many times
Serbia adopted 8 November 2006; effective 10 November 2006
Seychelles 18 June 1993
Sierra Leone 1 October 1991; amended several times
Singapore 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on pre-independence State of Singapore constitution)
Sint Maarten Staatsregeling, 10 October 2010; revised Kingdom Charter pending
Slovakia ratified 1 September 1992, effective 1 January 1993; changed September 1998; amended February 2001
note: the change in September 1998 allowed direct election of the president; the amendment of February 2001 allowed Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership
Slovenia adopted 23 December 1991; amended 14 July 1997 and 25 July 2000
Solomon Islands 7 July 1978
Somalia none in force
note: a Transitional Federal Charter was established in February 2004 and is expected to serve as the basis for a future constitution in Somalia
South Africa 10 December 1996; note - certified by the Constitutional Court 4 December 1996; was signed by then President MANDELA 10 December 1996; and entered into effect 4 February 1997
South Sudan Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan 2011, effective 9 July 2011
Spain approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6 December 1978; signed by the king 27 December 1978
Sri Lanka adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978; amended 20 December 2001
Sudan the Government of Sudan is in the process of drafting a new constitution to replace the Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005
Suriname ratified 30 September 1987; effective 30 October 1987
Swaziland signed by the King July 2005; went into effect 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; amended February 2012
Taiwan adopted 25 December 1946; promulgated 1 January 1947; effective 25 December 1947; amended many times
Tajikistan 6 November 1994
Tanzania 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984
Thailand 24 August 2007
Timor-Leste 20 May 2002 (effective date)
Togo 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; note - the Constituent Assembly formed in October 2011 following the country's political revolution was charged with writing a new constitution; approval is expected by the end of 2012
Turkey 7 November 1982; amended several times; note - amendment passed by referendum 21 October 2007 concerning presidential elections
Turkmenistan adopted 26 September 2008
Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution (Interim Amendment) Order 2009, S.I. 2009/701 - effective 14 August 2009 - suspended Ministerial government, the House of Assembly, and the constitutional right to trial by jury, and imposed direct British rule
Tuvalu 1 October 1978
Uganda 8 October 1995; amended 2005
note: the amendments in 2005 removed presidential term limits and legalized 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; revised 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997
Uzbekistan adopted 8 December 1992; amended in 2002
Vanuatu 30 July 1980
Venezuela 30 December 1999; amended 15 February 2009
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