The CIA World Factbook Edition 2025, the latest with this field Government
Legal system In 36 editions of 36.
Legal system was published in 36 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2025. The 2025 edition carries it in 250 entries, in its Government section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2025 edition
- 250
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2025
Published as “Legal system” (1990 to 2025).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Legal system, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
No entries match. Try a shorter word.
Entries with Legal system in each edition
Select a bar to open that edition.
World
1 entryWorld
- the legal systems of nearly all countries are modeled on elements of five main types: civil law (including French law, the Napoleonic Code, Roman law, Roman-Dutch law, and Spanish law), common law (including English and US law), customary law, mixed or pluralistic law, and religious law (including Islamic sharia law);
- an additional type of legal system -- international law -- governs the conduct of independent nations in their relationships with one another
Africa
54 entriesAlgeria
- mixed system of French civil law and Islamic law;
- judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials including several Supreme Court justices
Botswana
mixed legal system of civil law influenced by the Roman-Dutch model, including customary and common law
Comoros
mixed legal system of Islamic religious law, the French civil code of 1975, and customary law
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
civil law system primarily based on Belgian law, but also customary and tribal law
Cote d'Ivoire
civil law system based on the French civil code; Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court reviews legislation
Djibouti
mixed system based primarily on the French civil code (as it existed in 1997), Islamic religious law (in matters of family law and successions), and customary law
Egypt
mixed system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws; Supreme Constitutional Court reviews laws
Guinea-Bissau
- mixed system of civil law, which incorporated Portuguese law at independence;
- influenced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), African Francophone Public Law, and customary law
Kenya
mixed system of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law; Supreme Court reviews laws
Lesotho
mixed system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; High Court and Court of Appeal review legislative acts
Madagascar
civil law system based on the old French civil code and customary law in matters of marriage, family, and obligation
Malawi
mixed system of English common law and customary law; Supreme Court of Appeal reviews legislative acts
Mali
civil law system based on the French civil law model and influenced by customary law; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts
Morocco
mixed system of civil law based on French civil law and Islamic (sharia) law; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts
Niger
note: following the 26 July 2023 military coup, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland assumed control of all government institutions and rules by decree; formerly, mixed system of civil law, based on French civil law, Islamic law, and customary law
Nigeria
mixed system of English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
Rwanda
mixed system of civil law, based on German and Belgian models, and customary law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts
Tanzania
English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation
Tunisia
mixed system of civil law, based on the French civil code and Islamic (sharia) law; Supreme Court reviews some legislative acts in joint session
Antarctic Region
5 entriesAntarctica
- Antarctica is administered through annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings that include member nations, observer groups, and experts;
- decisions are made by consensus and enforced by each country through its own laws, applying to their citizens and operations in the region south of 60° south latitude, including all ice shelves and islands;
- in the US, the Antarctic Conservation Act prohibits actions like harming native wildlife, introducing non-native species, polluting, or entering protected areas without authorization;
- the US National Science Foundation and Department of Justice enforce these rules;
- US expeditions must also notify the Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs at the US Department of State, which informs other Treaty nations, as required under Public Law 95-541
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands now South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
the laws of the UK apply
Arctic Region
4 entriesSvalbard
- laws of Norway that explicitly apply to Svalbard, including the Svalbard Act, the Svalbard Environmental Protection Act, and certain regulations;
- the Spitsbergen Treaty and the Svalbard Treaty grant certain rights to citizens and corporations of signatory nations
Asia
23 entriesAfghanistan
- the Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which is partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence and have enforced strict punishments;
- before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law (2021)
Bangladesh
- common law, incorporating elements of English common law;
- since independence, statutory law has been the primary form of legislation;
- Islamic law applies to Muslims in family and inheritance laws, with Hindu personal law applying to Hindus and Buddhists
China
civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes
note: in 2020, the National People's Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which codifies personal relations and property relations
India
- common law system based on the English model;
- separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus;
- judicial review of legislative acts
Japan
- civil law system based on German model;
- also reflects Anglo-American influence and Japanese traditions;
- Supreme Court reviews legislative acts
Kazakhstan
civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation
Korea, North now North Korea
civil law system based on the Prussian model; influenced by Japanese traditions and Communist legal theory
Korea, South now South Korea
mixed system combining European civil law, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Maldives
Islamic (sharia) legal system with English common law influences, primarily in commercial matters
Mongolia
civil law system influenced by Soviet and Romano-Germanic systems; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts
Sri Lanka
mixed system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, Jaffna Tamil customary law, and Muslim personal law
Uzbekistan
civil law system
note: in 2020, the criminal code, criminal procedure code, and code of administrative responsibility were reformed; a constitutional referendum in 2023 included additional criminal code reforms
Central America and the Caribbean
33 entriesDominican Republic
civil law system based on the French civil code; Criminal Procedures Code modified in 2004 to include important elements of an accusatory system
El Salvador
civil law system with minor common law influence; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts
Puerto Rico
civil law system based on the Spanish civil code, within the framework of the US federal system
Europe
49 entriesAlbania
civil law system except in the northern rural areas where customary law known as the "Code of Leke" is still present
Belarus
civil law system
note: nearly all major codes (civil, civil procedure, criminal, criminal procedure, family, and labor) were revised and came into force in 1999 and 2000
Czechia
new civil code enacted in 2014, replacing civil code of 1964 based on former Austro-Hungarian civil codes and socialist theory
European Union
unique supranational system in which EU treaties and EU law have primacy over member-state law
Guernsey
customary system based on Norman customary law; includes elements of the French civil code and English common law
Ireland
common law system based on the English model but substantially modified by customary law; Supreme Court reviews legislative acts
Malta
mixed system of English common law and civil law based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes; subject to European Union law
Moldova
civil law system with Germanic law influences; Constitutional Court reviews legislative acts
Netherlands
civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General
Norway
mixed system of civil, common, and customary law; Supreme Court can advise on legislative acts
Poland
- civil law system;
- judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts;
- constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final
Switzerland
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts, except federal decrees of a general obligatory character
United Kingdom
common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
Middle East
17 entriesAkrotiri
- laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus;
- note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters
Bahrain
mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law, English common law, Egyptian civil, criminal, and commercial codes; customary law
Dhekelia
- laws applicable to the Cypriot population are, as far as possible, the same as the laws of the Republic of Cyprus;
- note - the Sovereign Base Area Administration has its own court system to deal with civil and criminal matters
Israel
mixed system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws
Jordan
mixed system developed from Ottoman Empire codes (based on French law), British common law, and Islamic law
Lebanon
mixed system of civil law based on the French civil code, Ottoman legal tradition, and religious laws covering personal status, marriage, divorce, and other family relations of the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian communities
Saudi Arabia
Islamic (sharia) system with some elements of Egyptian, French, and customary law; commercial disputes handled by special committees
Turkey (Turkiye) now Turkiye
civil law system based on various European systems, notably the Swiss civil code
North America
6 entriesUnited States
- common law system based on English common law at the federal level;
- state legal systems based on common law, except Louisiana, where state law is based on Napoleonic civil code;
- judicial review of legislative acts
Oceania
28 entriesMicronesia, Federated States of now Federated States of Micronesia
mixed system of common and customary law
New Zealand
- common law system,
- based on English model,
- with special legislation and land courts for the Maori
Samoa
mixed system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts involving fundamental citizen rights
South America
13 entriesArgentina
civil law system based on Western European legal systems
note: in 2015, Argentina adopted a new civil code, replacing the old one in force since 1871
Bolivia
civil law system with influences from Roman, Spanish, canon (religious), French, and ethnic groups' pre-colonial law
Chile
civil law system influenced by several Western European civil legal systems; Constitutional Tribunal reviews legislative acts
Ecuador
civil law based on the Chilean civil code with modifications; traditional law in ethnic communities
Paraguay
civil law system with influences from Argentine, Spanish, Roman, and French civil law models; Supreme Court of Justice reviews legislative acts
Southeast Asia
17 entriesAshmore and Cartier Islands
the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply
Brunei
mixed legal system based on English common law and Islamic law
note: in 2019, sharia penal codes came into force and apply to Muslims and partly to non-Muslims in parallel with common law codes
Burma now Burma (Myanmar)
mixed legal system of English common law (as introduced in codifications designed for colonial India) and customary law
Cambodia
civil law system (influenced by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia), customary law, Communist legal theory, and common law
Christmas Island
system is under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
Hong Kong
- mixed system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure);
- China's imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law
Malaysia
- mixed system of English common law, Islamic law (sharia), and customary law;
- the Federal Court can review legislative acts at the request of the supreme head of the federation
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2025, “Legal system”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/legal-system.