Country Foundations

Laos

Constitution in force since 1991, 4,820 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
56%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
36%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−20%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
53%
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 0%, practiced 26%, gap +26%Right to life0%26%+26%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 33%, gap +33%Freedom from torture0%33%+33%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 0%, practiced 48%, gap +48%Freedom from slavery and forced labour0%48%+48%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 0%, practiced 38%, gap +38%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…0%38%+38%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 33%, practiced 39%, gap +6%Right to a fair and public trial33%39%+6%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 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from self-incriminationno practice measure0%——Protection from double jeopardy — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from double jeopardyno practice measure0%——Due process of law — declared 0%, practiced 36%, gap +36%Due process of law0%36%+36%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 6%, gap −94%Freedom of expression100%6%−94%Freedom of the press — declared 100%, practiced 21%, gap −79%Freedom of the press100%21%−79%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 0%, practiced 21%, gap +21%Freedom of thought and conscience0%21%+21%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 51%, gap −49%Freedom of religion100%51%−49%Separation of religion and state — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure50%——Academic freedom — declared 100%, practiced 23%, gap −77%Academic freedom100%23%−77%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 18%, gap −82%Freedom of assembly100%18%−82%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 12%, gap −88%Freedom of association100%12%−88%Right to petition government — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to petition governmentno practice measure100%——Right to form and join trade unions — declared 0%, practiced 23%, gap +23%Right to form and join trade unions0%23%+23%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 55%, gap +5%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%55%+5%Right to privacy — declared 0%, practiced 21%, gap +21%Right to privacy0%21%+21%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 57%, gap −43%Freedom of movement100%57%−43%Right to asylum — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure100%——Right to own property — declared 100%, practiced 53%, gap −47%Right to own property100%53%−47%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 45%, gap −55%Equality before the law100%45%−55%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 42%, gap −58%Right to education100%42%−58%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 48%, gap −52%Right to health care100%48%−52%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 43%, gap +43%Right to shelter or housing0%43%+43%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 61%, gap −39%Independent judiciary100%61%−39%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
0501001991: constitutional text changed (+25 pts declared)195019752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1947–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Freedom of expression −94%
  • Freedom of the press −79%
  • Freedom of religion −49%
  • Academic freedom −77%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Right to life +26%
  • Freedom from torture +33%
  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour +48%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) +38%

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 2009
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 2007
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1974
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1981
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 2012
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1991
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2009
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.