Country Foundations

Burma/Myanmar

Constitution in force since 2008, 40,492 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
72%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
29%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−42%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
39%
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 50%, practiced 23%, gap −27%Right to life50%23%−27%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 21%, gap +21%Freedom from torture0%21%+21%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 50%, practiced 47%, gap −3%Freedom from slavery and forced labour50%47%−3%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 33%, gap −67%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%33%−67%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 50%, practiced 30%, gap −20%Right to a fair and public trial50%30%−20%Presumption of innocence — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Presumption of innocenceno practice measure0%——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 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from double jeopardyno practice measure100%——Due process of law — declared 100%, practiced 27%, gap −73%Due process of law100%27%−73%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 7%, gap −93%Freedom of expression100%7%−93%Freedom of the press — declared 50%, practiced 9%, gap −41%Freedom of the press50%9%−41%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 100%, practiced 19%, gap −81%Freedom of thought and conscience100%19%−81%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 47%, gap −53%Freedom of religion100%47%−53%Separation of religion and state — declared 25%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure25%——Academic freedom — declared 100%, practiced 12%, gap −88%Academic freedom100%12%−88%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 10%, gap −90%Freedom of assembly100%10%−90%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 30%, gap −70%Freedom of association100%30%−70%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 22%, gap +22%Right to form and join trade unions0%22%+22%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 0%, practiced 100%, gap +100%Right to vote and universal suffrage0%100%+100%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 14%, gap −86%Right to privacy100%14%−86%Freedom of movement — declared 50%, practiced 47%, gap −3%Freedom of movement50%47%−3%Right to asylum — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure0%——Right to own property — declared 100%, practiced 53%, gap −47%Right to own property100%53%−47%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 30%, gap −70%Equality before the law100%30%−70%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 31%, gap −69%Right to education100%31%−69%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 27%, gap −73%Right to health care100%27%−73%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 27%, gap +27%Right to shelter or housing0%27%+27%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 11%, gap −89%Independent judiciary100%11%−89%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
0501001962: constitutional text changed (−50 pts declared)1974: constitutional text changed (+58 pts declared)195019752000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1947–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −67%
  • Due process of law −73%
  • Freedom of expression −93%
  • Freedom of thought and conscience −81%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from torture +21%
  • Right to form and join trade unions +22%
  • Right to vote and universal suffrage +100%
  • Right to shelter or housing +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)no action
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 2017
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)no action
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1997
Convention against Torture (CAT)no action
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1991
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2011
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
Migrant Workers (ICMW)no action

Compare with

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAngolaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGeorgiaGhanaGreeceGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaiti

Data generated 2026-08-08.