July 1959; series of
amendments concluded in 2002

Iran
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the
presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

Iraq
ratified on 15 October 2005 (subject to review by the
Constitutional Review Committee and a possible public referendum )

Ireland
adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

Isle of Man
unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of
1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution

Israel
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citizenship law; note - since May 2003 the Constitution, Law, and
Justice Committee of the Knesset has been working on a draft
constitution

Italy
passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended
many times

Jamaica
6 August 1962

Japan
3 May 1947

Jersey
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Jordan
1 January 1952; amended many times

Kazakhstan
first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January
1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995

Kenya
12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with
amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001; note - a
new draft constitution was defeated by popular referendum in 2005

Kiribati
12 July 1979

Korea, North
adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972,
revised again in April 1992, and September 1998

Korea, South
17 July 1948; note - amended or rewritten nine times;
current constitution approved on 29 October 1987

Kosovo
ratified 9 April 2008; effective 15 June 2008

Kuwait
approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

Kyrgyzstan
adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by
President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2
February 2003 significantly expanded the powers of the president at
the expense of the legislature; during large-scale demonstrations in
November 2006, President BAKIEV and the opposition negotiated a new
constitution granting greater powers to the parliament and the
government; amendments added on 30 December 2006 redistributed some
power back to the president, but both November and December 2006
versions were annulled in September 2007, and a new version was
approved by referend