Country Foundations

Djibouti

Constitution in force since 1992, 6,666 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
59%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
50%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−9%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
37%
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 45%, gap −55%Right to life100%45%−55%Freedom from torture — declared 100%, practiced 43%, gap −57%Freedom from torture100%43%−57%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 0%, practiced 60%, gap +60%Freedom from slavery and forced labour0%60%+60%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 58%, gap −42%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%58%−42%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 0%, practiced 57%, gap +57%Right to a fair and public trial0%57%+57%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 0%, practiced 50%, gap +50%Due process of law0%50%+50%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 33%, gap −67%Freedom of expression100%33%−67%Freedom of the press — declared 0%, practiced 33%, gap +33%Freedom of the press0%33%+33%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 53%, gap −47%Freedom of thought and conscience100%53%−47%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 56%, gap −44%Freedom of religion100%56%−44%Separation of religion and state — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure50%——Academic freedom — declared 0%, practiced 51%, gap +51%Academic freedom0%51%+51%Freedom of assembly — declared 0%, practiced 48%, gap +48%Freedom of assembly0%48%+48%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 55%, gap −45%Freedom of association100%55%−45%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 100%, practiced 50%, gap −50%Right to form and join trade unions100%50%−50%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 65%, gap +15%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%65%+15%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 40%, gap −60%Right to privacy100%40%−60%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 67%, gap −33%Freedom of movement100%67%−33%Right to asylum — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure0%——Right to own property — declared 100%, practiced 66%, gap −34%Right to own property100%66%−34%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 46%, gap −54%Equality before the law100%46%−54%Right to education — declared 0%, practiced 44%, gap +44%Right to education0%44%+44%Right to health care — declared 0%, practiced 46%, gap +46%Right to health care0%46%+46%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 38%, gap +38%Right to shelter or housing0%38%+38%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 43%, gap −57%Independent judiciary100%43%−57%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
0501001992: constitutional text changed (+46 pts declared)19801990200020102020

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1977–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Right to life −55%
  • Freedom from torture −57%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −42%
  • Freedom of expression −67%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour +60%
  • Right to a fair and public trial +57%
  • Due process of law +50%
  • Freedom of the press +33%

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 2002
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 2002
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 2011
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1998
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 2002
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1990
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2012
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
Migrant Workers (ICMW)no action

Compare with

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

Data generated 2026-08-08.