Country Foundations

Iran

Constitution in force since 1979, 16,179 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
62%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
39%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−23%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
38%
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 34%, gap −66%Right to life100%34%−66%Freedom from torture — declared 100%, practiced 25%, gap −75%Freedom from torture100%25%−75%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 0%, practiced 70%, gap +70%Freedom from slavery and forced labour0%70%+70%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 46%, gap −54%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%46%−54%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 33%, practiced 47%, gap +14%Right to a fair and public trial33%47%+14%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 38%, gap +38%Due process of law0%38%+38%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 0%, practiced 19%, gap +19%Freedom of expression0%19%+19%Freedom of the press — declared 50%, practiced 25%, gap −25%Freedom of the press50%25%−25%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 36%, gap −64%Freedom of thought and conscience100%36%−64%Freedom of religion — declared 50%, practiced 32%, gap −18%Freedom of religion50%32%−18%Separation of religion and state — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure0%——Academic freedom — declared 0%, practiced 32%, gap +32%Academic freedom0%32%+32%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 26%, gap −74%Freedom of assembly100%26%−74%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 26%, gap −74%Freedom of association100%26%−74%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 13%, gap −37%Right to form and join trade unions50%13%−37%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 0%, practiced 62%, gap +62%Right to vote and universal suffrage0%62%+62%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 31%, gap −69%Right to privacy100%31%−69%Freedom of movement — declared 0%, practiced 59%, gap +59%Freedom of movement0%59%+59%Right to asylum — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure100%——Right to own property — declared 50%, practiced 72%, gap +22%Right to own property50%72%+22%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 33%, gap −67%Equality before the law100%33%−67%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 58%, gap −42%Right to education100%58%−42%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 55%, gap −45%Right to health care100%55%−45%Right to shelter or housing — declared 100%, practiced 45%, gap −55%Right to shelter or housing100%45%−55%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 20%, gap −80%Independent judiciary100%20%−80%Right to bear arms — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to bear armsno practice measure50%——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
0501001907: constitutional text changed (+46 pts declared)1979: constitutional text changed (+14 pts declared)1925195019752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1906–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Right to life −66%
  • Freedom from torture −75%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −54%
  • Freedom of thought and conscience −64%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour +70%
  • Due process of law +38%
  • Academic freedom +32%
  • Right to vote and universal suffrage +62%

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 1975
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 1975
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1968
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)no action
Convention against Torture (CAT)no action
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1994
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2009
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
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.