Country Foundations

Bahrain

Constitution in force since 2002, 10,806 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
79%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
45%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−34%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
47%
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 46%, gap +46%Right to life0%46%+46%Freedom from torture — declared 100%, practiced 39%, gap −61%Freedom from torture100%39%−61%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 50%, practiced 63%, gap +13%Freedom from slavery and forced labour50%63%+13%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 44%, gap −56%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%44%−56%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 17%, practiced 44%, gap +27%Right to a fair and public trial17%44%+27%Presumption of innocence — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Presumption of innocenceno practice measure100%——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 100%, practiced 39%, gap −61%Due process of law100%39%−61%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 22%, gap −78%Freedom of expression100%22%−78%Freedom of the press — declared 100%, practiced 26%, gap −74%Freedom of the press100%26%−74%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 39%, gap −61%Freedom of thought and conscience100%39%−61%Freedom of religion — declared 50%, practiced 44%, gap −6%Freedom of religion50%44%−6%Separation of religion and state — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure0%——Academic freedom — declared 50%, practiced 24%, gap −26%Academic freedom50%24%−26%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 36%, gap −64%Freedom of assembly100%36%−64%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 35%, gap −65%Freedom of association100%35%−65%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 50%, practiced 28%, gap −22%Right to form and join trade unions50%28%−22%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 67%, gap +17%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%67%+17%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 38%, gap −62%Right to privacy100%38%−62%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 66%, gap −34%Freedom of movement100%66%−34%Right to asylum — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure100%——Right to own property — declared 100%, practiced 79%, gap −21%Right to own property100%79%−21%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 39%, gap −61%Equality before the law100%39%−61%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 60%, gap −40%Right to education100%60%−40%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 78%, gap −22%Right to health care100%78%−22%Right to shelter or housing — declared 50%, practiced 60%, gap +10%Right to shelter or housing50%60%+10%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 17%, gap −83%Independent judiciary100%17%−83%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
05010019801990200020102020

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1973–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Freedom from torture −61%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −56%
  • Due process of law −61%
  • Freedom of expression −78%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Right to life +46%
  • Right to a fair and public trial +27%

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 2006
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 2007
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1990
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 2002
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 1998
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1992
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2011
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
Migrant Workers (ICMW)no action

Compare with

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

Data generated 2026-08-08.