Country Foundations

Singapore

Constitution in force since 1963, 40,076 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
37%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
68%
mean across compared rights
Gap
+31%
delivers more than promised
Executive respects constitution
77%
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 92%, gap −8%Right to life100%92%−8%Freedom from torture — declared 0%, practiced 89%, gap +89%Freedom from torture0%89%+89%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 100%, practiced 53%, gap −47%Freedom from slavery and forced labour100%53%−47%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 0%, practiced 74%, gap +74%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…0%74%+74%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 0%, practiced 77%, gap +77%Right to a fair and public trial0%77%+77%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 0%, practiced 84%, gap +84%Due process of law0%84%+84%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 30%, gap −70%Freedom of expression100%30%−70%Freedom of the press — declared 0%, practiced 37%, gap +37%Freedom of the press0%37%+37%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 0%, practiced 63%, gap +63%Freedom of thought and conscience0%63%+63%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 70%, gap −30%Freedom of religion100%70%−30%Separation of religion and state — declared 25%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure25%——Academic freedom — declared 0%, practiced 58%, gap +58%Academic freedom0%58%+58%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 36%, gap −64%Freedom of assembly100%36%−64%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 57%, gap −43%Freedom of association100%57%−43%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 40%, gap +40%Right to form and join trade unions0%40%+40%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 50%, practiced 82%, gap +32%Right to vote and universal suffrage50%82%+32%Right to privacy — declared 0%, practiced 67%, gap +67%Right to privacy0%67%+67%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 80%, gap −20%Freedom of movement100%80%−20%Right to asylum — declared 0%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure0%——Right to own property — declared 0%, practiced 74%, gap +74%Right to own property0%74%+74%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 80%, gap −20%Equality before the law100%80%−20%Right to education — declared 0%, practiced 85%, gap +85%Right to education0%85%+85%Right to health care — declared 0%, practiced 96%, gap +96%Right to health care0%96%+96%Right to shelter or housing — declared 0%, practiced 86%, gap +86%Right to shelter or housing0%86%+86%Independent judiciary — declared 0%, practiced 64%, gap +64%Independent judiciary0%64%+64%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
050100197019801990200020102020

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1963–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Freedom from slavery and forced labour −47%
  • Freedom of expression −70%
  • Freedom of religion −30%
  • Freedom of assembly −64%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Freedom from torture +89%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) +74%
  • Right to a fair and public trial +77%
  • 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)no action
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)no action
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 2017
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1993
Convention against Torture (CAT)no action
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1995
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2013
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.