Country Foundations

Libya

Constitution in force since 2011, 2,954 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
62%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
43%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−18%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
36%
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 29%, gap +29%Right to life0%29%+29%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 22%, gap +22%Freedom from torture0%22%+22%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 0%, practiced 52%, gap +52%Freedom from slavery and forced labour0%52%+52%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 0%, practiced 30%, gap +30%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…0%30%+30%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 67%, practiced 26%, gap −41%Right to a fair and public trial67%26%−41%Presumption of innocence — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Presumption of innocenceno practice measure100%——Right to legal counsel — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to legal counselno practice measure50%——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 50%, practiced 18%, gap −32%Due process of law50%18%−32%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 52%, gap −48%Freedom of expression100%52%−48%Freedom of the press — declared 100%, practiced 52%, gap −48%Freedom of the press100%52%−48%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 48%, gap −52%Freedom of thought and conscience100%48%−52%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 29%, gap −71%Freedom of religion100%29%−71%Separation of religion and state — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure0%——Academic freedom — declared 100%, practiced 31%, gap −69%Academic freedom100%31%−69%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 46%, gap −54%Freedom of assembly100%46%−54%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 61%, gap −39%Freedom of association100%61%−39%Right to petition government — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to petition governmentno practice measure0%——Right to form and join trade unions — declared 0%, practiced 62%, gap +62%Right to form and join trade unions0%62%+62%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 76%, gap +26%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%76%+26%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 28%, gap −72%Right to privacy100%28%−72%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 50%, practiced 67%, gap +17%Right to own property50%67%+17%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 34%, gap −66%Equality before the law100%34%−66%Right to education — declared 0%, practiced 50%, gap +50%Right to education0%50%+50%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 30%, gap −70%Right to health care100%30%−70%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 46%, gap +46%Right to shelter or housing0%46%+46%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 46%, gap −54%Independent judiciary100%46%−54%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
0501001969: constitutional text changed (−34 pts declared)2011: constitutional text changed (+24 pts declared)19752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1951–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Freedom of expression −48%
  • Freedom of the press −48%
  • Freedom of thought and conscience −52%
  • Freedom of religion −71%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Right to life +29%
  • Freedom from torture +22%
  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour +52%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) +30%

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 1970
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 1970
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1968
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1989
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 1989
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1993
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2018
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
Migrant Workers (ICMW)ratified 2004

Compare with

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

Data generated 2026-08-08.