Country Foundations

El Salvador

Constitution in force since 1983, 22,823 words. Rights measured for 2023.

Declared
80%
mean across compared rights
Practiced
46%
mean across compared rights
Gap
−33%
delivers less than promised
Executive respects constitution
35%
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 64%, gap −36%Right to life100%64%−36%Freedom from torture — declared 100%, practiced 33%, gap −67%Freedom from torture100%33%−67%Freedom from slavery and forced labour — declared 50%, practiced 52%, gap +2%Freedom from slavery and forced labour50%52%+2%Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) — declared 100%, practiced 28%, gap −72%Freedom from arbitrary detention (ha…100%28%−72%Right to a fair and public trial — declared 33%, practiced 28%, gap −6%Right to a fair and public trial33%28%−6%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 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from self-incriminationno practice measure100%——Protection from double jeopardy — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Protection from double jeopardyno practice measure100%——Due process of law — declared 0%, practiced 27%, gap +27%Due process of law0%27%+27%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 45%, gap −55%Freedom of expression100%45%−55%Freedom of the press — declared 100%, practiced 24%, gap −76%Freedom of the press100%24%−76%Freedom of thought and conscience — declared 0%, practiced 47%, gap +47%Freedom of thought and conscience0%47%+47%Freedom of religion — declared 100%, practiced 89%, gap −11%Freedom of religion100%89%−11%Separation of religion and state — declared 50%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Separation of religion and stateno practice measure50%——Academic freedom — declared 100%, practiced 50%, gap −50%Academic freedom100%50%−50%Freedom of assembly — declared 100%, practiced 38%, gap −62%Freedom of assembly100%38%−62%Freedom of association — declared 100%, practiced 76%, gap −24%Freedom of association100%76%−24%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 100%, practiced 57%, gap −43%Right to form and join trade unions100%57%−43%Right to vote and universal suffrage — declared 0%, practiced 80%, gap +80%Right to vote and universal suffrage0%80%+80%Right to privacy — declared 100%, practiced 57%, gap −43%Right to privacy100%57%−43%Freedom of movement — declared 100%, practiced 64%, gap −36%Freedom of movement100%64%−36%Right to asylum — declared 100%, practiced — (no comparable practice measure)Right to asylumno practice measure100%——Right to own property — declared 100%, practiced 67%, gap −33%Right to own property100%67%−33%Equality before the law — declared 100%, practiced 38%, gap −62%Equality before the law100%38%−62%Right to education — declared 100%, practiced 27%, gap −73%Right to education100%27%−73%Right to health care — declared 100%, practiced 38%, gap −62%Right to health care100%38%−62%Right to shelter or housing — declared 50%, practiced 22%, gap −28%Right to shelter or housing50%22%−28%Independent judiciary — declared 100%, practiced 12%, gap −88%Independent judiciary100%12%−88%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
0501001871: constitutional text changed (+13 pts declared)1872: constitutional text changed (+8 pts declared)1883: constitutional text changed (+5 pts declared)1886: constitutional text changed (−5 pts declared)1900: constitutional text changed (−4 pts declared)1950: constitutional text changed (+10 pts declared)1850190019502000

Mean across the 23 rights measured on both sides, 1841–2023. Vertical marks show years when the constitutional text changed enough to move the declared score.

Promised, but not delivered

  • Right to life −36%
  • Freedom from torture −67%
  • Freedom from arbitrary detention (habeas corpus) −72%
  • Freedom of expression −55%

Delivered, though never promised

  • Due process of law +27%
  • Freedom of thought and conscience +47%
  • Right to vote and universal suffrage +80%

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 1979
Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR)ratified 1979
Racial Discrimination (ICERD)ratified 1979
Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)ratified 1981
Convention against Torture (CAT)ratified 1996
Rights of the Child (CRC)ratified 1990
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)ratified 2007
Enforced Disappearance (CPED)no action
Migrant Workers (ICMW)ratified 2003

Compare with

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAngolaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoBurma/MyanmarBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGeorgiaGhanaGreeceGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaiti

Data generated 2026-08-08.