Country Foundations

India

Constitution in force since 1949, 100,028 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
63%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
52%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−10%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
66%
V-Dem, measured directly

The rights ledger

Each row compares what the constitution declares against what is measured in practice. The two values are always shown together — a gap on its own is easy to misread.

Declared in the constitutionPracticed (measured)Falls short / exceeds
0255075100Right to life — declared 100%, practiced 48%, gap −52%Right to life100%48%−52%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 55%, gap +55%Freedom from torture0%55%+55%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 50%, practiced 67%, gap +17%Freedom from slavery and forced labour50%67%+17%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 53%, gap −47%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%53%−47%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 0%, practiced 53%, gap +53%Right to a fair and public trial0%53%+53%Presumption of innocence — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Presumption of innocenceno practice measure0%——Right to legal counsel — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to legal counselno practice measure100%——Protection from self-incrimination — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from self-incriminationno practice measure100%——Protection from double jeopardy — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from double jeopardyno practice measure100%——Due process of law — declared 0%, practiced 41%, gap +41%Due process of law0%41%+41%Trial by jury or lay participation — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Trial by jury or lay participationno practice measure0%——Freedom of expression — declared 100%, practiced 41%, gap −59%Freedom of expression100%41%−59%Freedom of the press — declared 50%, practiced 41%, gap −9%Freedom of the press50%41%−9%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 57%, gap −43%Freedom of thought and conscience100%57%−43%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 54%, gap −46%Freedom of religion100%54%−46%Separation of religion and state — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure100%——Academic freedom — declared 50%, practiced 35%, gap −15%Academic freedom50%35%−15%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 47%, gap −53%Freedom of assembly100%47%−53%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 56%, gap −44%Freedom of association100%56%−44%Right to petition government — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to petition governmentno practice measure50%——Right to form and join trade unions — declared 50%, practiced 41%, gap −9%Right to form and join trade unions50%41%−9%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 80%, gap +30%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%80%+30%Right to privacy — declared 0%, practiced 63%, gap +63%Right to privacy0%63%+63%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 75%, gap −25%Freedom of movement100%75%−25%Right to asylum — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure0%——Right to own property — declared 88%, practiced 77%, gap −10%Right to own property88%77%−10%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 52%, gap −48%Equality before the law100%52%−48%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 30%, gap −70%Right to education100%30%−70%Right to health care — declared 50%, practiced 34%, gap −16%Right to health care50%34%−16%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 39%, gap +39%Right to shelter or housing0%39%+39%Independent judiciary — declared 50%, practiced 66%, gap +16%Independent judiciary50%66%+16%Right to bear arms — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to bear armsno practice measure0%——decl.prac.gap

· marks a right with no provision in that country’s constitution. Scores run 0–100; practiced values are V-Dem indicators normalized across all country-years.

Promise and practice over time

The declared line steps when the constitution changes. The practiced line moves when behaviour does. The distance between those two moments is the part worth looking at.

Declared (the text)Practiced (measured)The text changed
0501001995: constitutional text changed (+10 pts declared)195019752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1949–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Right to life −52%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −47%
  • Freedom of expression −59%
  • Freedom of thought and conscience −43%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from torture +55%
  • Right to a fair and public trial +53%
  • Due process of law +41%
  • Right to privacy +63%

Declared internationally

A constitution is only one place a country makes promises. These are the nine core UN human rights treaties.

Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR)ratified 1979
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 1979
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1968
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1993
Convention against Torture (CAT)signed only
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1992
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2007
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)signed only
Migrant Workers (ICMW)no action

Compare with

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAngolaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoBurma/MyanmarBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGeorgiaGhanaGreeceGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyana

Data generated 2026-08-08.