Country Foundations

Ireland

Constitution in force since 1937, 16,007 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
52%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
87%
mean across compared rights
Gap
+35%
delivers more than promised
Executive respects constitution
89%
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 91%, gap −9%Right to life100%91%−9%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 90%, gap +90%Freedom from torture0%90%+90%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 0%, practiced 84%, gap +84%Freedom from slavery and forced labour0%84%+84%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 88%, gap −12%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%88%−12%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 0%, practiced 88%, gap +88%Right to a fair and public trial0%88%+88%Presumption of innocence — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Presumption of innocenceno practice measure0%——Right to legal counsel — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to legal counselno practice measure0%——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 84%, gap +84%Due process of law0%84%+84%Trial by jury or lay participation — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Trial by jury or lay participationno practice measure100%——Freedom of expression — declared 100%, practiced 93%, gap −7%Freedom of expression100%93%−7%Freedom of the press — declared 100%, practiced 85%, gap −15%Freedom of the press100%85%−15%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 91%, gap −9%Freedom of thought and conscience100%91%−9%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 92%, gap −8%Freedom of religion100%92%−8%Separation of religion and state — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure100%——Academic freedom — declared 0%, practiced 88%, gap +88%Academic freedom0%88%+88%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 91%, gap −9%Freedom of assembly100%91%−9%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 87%, gap −13%Freedom of association100%87%−13%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 50%, practiced 81%, gap +31%Right to form and join trade unions50%81%+31%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 0%, practiced 94%, gap +94%Right to vote and universal suffrage0%94%+94%Right to privacy — declared 0%, practiced 97%, gap +97%Right to privacy0%97%+97%Freedom of movement — declared 0%, practiced 91%, gap +91%Freedom of movement0%91%+91%Right to asylum — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure0%——Right to own property — declared 50%, practiced 91%, gap +41%Right to own property50%91%+41%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 88%, gap −12%Equality before the law100%88%−12%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 81%, gap −19%Right to education100%81%−19%Right to health care — declared 0%, practiced 68%, gap +68%Right to health care0%68%+68%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 77%, gap +77%Right to shelter or housing0%77%+77%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 88%, gap −12%Independent judiciary100%88%−12%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
0501001937: constitutional text changed (+8 pts declared)1983: constitutional text changed (+4 pts declared)1992: constitutional text changed (+4 pts declared)1999: constitutional text changed (−4 pts declared)2018: constitutional text changed (−4 pts declared)1925195019752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1922–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from torture +90%
  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour +84%
  • Right to a fair and public trial +88%
  • Due process of law +84%

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 1989
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 1989
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 2000
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1985
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 2002
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1992
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2018
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.