Legal Systems of the World

Do you like this chart? ✔ Yes ✖ References and Data Table HTML Embed code $ Buy Now 176,598 views

This map shows Legal Systems around the World.

Civil law systems have drawn their inspiration largely from the Roman law heritage and which, by giving precedence to written law, have resolutely opted for a systematic codification of their general law. It is the most widespread system of law in the world.

Common law systems is a legal system founded not on laws made by legislatures but on judge-made laws, which in turn are based on custom, culture, habit, and previous judicial decisions throughout the world.

Customary law systems, traditional common rule or practice that has become an intrinsic part of the accepted and expected conduct in a community, profession, or trade and is treated as a legal requirement. Today, hardly any political entity in the world operates under a legal system which could be said to be typically and wholly customary.

Muslim law systems is an autonomous legal system which is of a religious nature and predominantly based on the Koran.

Mixed law systems political entities where two or more systems apply cumulatively or interactively.

Last updated: 15 years ago

Category: Country Info

Country name	Legal system	Mixed system components	Historical roots

Afghanistan	Muslim		based on mixed civil and sharia law
Albania	Civil law		has a civil law system
Algeria	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	socialist, based on French and Islamic law
Andorra	Customary		based on French and Spanish civil codes
Angola	Civil law		based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law, modified to accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets
Anguilla	Common law		based on English common law
Antigua and Barbuda	Common law		based on English common law
Argentina	Civil law		mixture of US and West European legal systems
Armenia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Aruba	Civil law		based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
Australia	Common law		based on English common law
Austria	Civil law		civil law system with Roman law origin
Azerbaijan	Civil law		based on civil law system
Azores	Civil law
Bahamas, The	Common law		based on English common law
Bahrain	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law/Common law/Customary law	based on Islamic law and English common law
Bangladesh	Mixed	Muslim/Common law	based on English common law
Barbados	Common law		English common law
Belarus	Civil law		based on civil law system
Belgium	Civil law		based on civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory
Belize	Common law		English law
Benin	Civil law		based on French civil law and customary law
Bermuda	Common law		English law
Bhutan	Mixed	Customary/Common law	based on Indian law and English common law
Bolivia	Civil law		based on Spanish law and Napoleonic Code
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Civil law		based on civil law system
Botswana	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law
Brazil	Civil law		based on Roman codes
British Indian Ocean Territory	Common law		the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
British Territories of Antartica	Common law
Brunei	Mixed	Muslim/Common law/Customary	based on English common law, for Muslims, Islamic sharia law supersedes civil law concerning Muslim marriages and inheritance
Bulgaria	Civil law		civil and criminal law based on Roman law
Burkina Faso	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Burundi	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law
Cambodia	Civil law		primarily a civil law mixture of French-influenced codes from the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) period, royal decrees, and acts of the legislature, with influences of customary law and remnants of communist legal theory, increasing influence of common law
Cameroon	Mixed	Civil law/Common law/Customary	based on French civil law system, with common law influence
Canada	Common law		based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails
Cook Islands	Civil law		based on New Zealand law and English common law
Cape Verde	Civil law		based on the legal system of Portugal
United Kingdom	Common law		based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences, has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
Central African Republic	Civil law		based on French law
Chad	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law
Chile	Civil law		based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law
China	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on civil law system, derived from Soviet and continental civil code legal principles
Colombia	Civil law		based on Spanish law, a new criminal code modeled after US procedures was enacted into law in 2004 and reached full implementation in January 2008
Comoros	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	French and Islamic law in a new consolidated code
Congo, Republic of the	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	civil law based on Belgian law with Napleonic Civil Code influence
Cook Islands	Common law		based on New Zealand law and English common law
Costa Rica	Civil law		based on Spanish civil law system
Côte d'Ivoire	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Croatia	Civil law		based on Austro-Hungarian law system with Communist law influences
Cuba	Civil law		based on Spanish civil law and influenced by American legal concepts with large elements of Communist legal theory
Cyprus	Mixed	Common law/Civil law	based on English common law, with civil law modifications
Czech Republic	Civil law		civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes, legal code modified to bring it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Denmark	Civil law		civil law system
Djibouti	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim/Customary	based on French civil law system, traditional practices, and Islamic law
Dominica	Common law		based on English common law
Dominican Republic	Civil law		based on French civil codes
Timor-Leste	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim/Customary	On 29 March 2009 the president promulgated the Timor-Leste penal code, UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place for civil codes but is to be replaced by civil codes based on Portuguese law, these have passed but have not been promulgated
Ecuador	Civil law		based on civil law system
Egypt	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law	based on Islamic and civil law (particularly Napoleonic codes)
El Salvador	Civil law		based on civil and Roman law with traces of common law
Equatorial Guinea	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Eritrea	Mixed	Civil law/Customary/Muslim	primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957 with revisions, new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated, government also issues unilateral proclamations setting laws and policies
Estonia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Ethiopia	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on civil law, currently transitional mix of national and regional courts
Faroe Islands	Civil law		the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Fiji	Common law		based on British system
Finland	Civil law		civil law system based on Swedish law
France	Civil law		civil law system with indigenous concepts
French Guiana	Civil law
French Polynesia	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Gabon	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Gambia, The	Mixed	Muslim/Common law/Customary	based on a composite of English common law, Islamic law, and customary law
Georgia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Germany	Civil law		civil law system with indigenous concepts
Ghana	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law and customary law
Gibraltar	Common law		the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Greece	Civil law		based on codified Roman law
Grenada	Common law		based on English common law
Greenland	Civil law		the laws of Denmark, where applicable, apply
Guadeloupe	Civil law
Guam	Common law		modeled on US, US federal laws apply
Guatemala	Civil law		civil law system
Guernsey	Customary		the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Guinea	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system, customary law, and decree
Guinea-Bissau	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law
Guyana	Mixed	Common law/Civil law	based on English common law with certain admixtures of Roman-Dutch law
Haiti	Civil law		based on Roman civil law system
Hawaii (USA)	Common law
Honduras	Civil law		rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law with increasing influence of English common law, recent judicial reforms include abandoning Napoleonic legal codes in favor of the oral adversarial system
Hong Kong	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law
Hungary	Civil law		based on the German-Austrian legal system
Iceland	Civil law		civil law system based on Danish law
India	Mixed	Common law/Muslim/Customary	based on English common law
Indonesia	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim/Customary	based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes
Iran	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law	based on sharia law system
Iraq	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	based on European civil and Islamic law under the framework outlined in the Iraqi Constitution
Ireland	Common law		based on English common law substantially modified by indigenous concepts
Israel	Mixed	Civil law/Common law/Jewish/Muslim	mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems
Italy	Civil law		based on civil law system, appeals treated as new trials
Jamaica	Common law		based on English common law
Japan	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	modeled after European civil law systems with English-American influence
Jersey	Customary		the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local statutes
Jordan	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim/Customary	based on Islamic law and French codes
Kazakhstan	Civil law		based on Islamic law and Roman law
Kenya	Mixed	Common law/Customary /Muslim	based on Kenyan statutory law, Kenyan and English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law
Kiribati	Common law		English common law supplemented by local, customary law
Korea, North	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on Prussian civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory
Korea, South	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Kuwait	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law/Customary	civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters
Kyrgyzstan	Civil law		based on French and Russian laws
Laos	Civil law		based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and socialist practice
Latvia	Civil law		based on civil law system with traces of Socialist legal traditions and practices
Lebanon	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law
Lesotho	Mixed	Common law/Civil law/Customary	based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law
Liberia	Mixed	Common law/Customary	dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector
Libya	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law	based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law, separate religious courts
Liechtenstein	Civil law		local civil and penal codes based on civil law system
Lithuania	Civil law		based on civil law system
Louisiana (USA)	Mixed	Civil law/Common law
Luxembourg	Civil law		based on civil law system
Macau	Civil law		based on Portuguese civil law system
Macedonia [FYROM]	Civil law		based on civil law system
Madagascar	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law
Madeira	Civil law
Malawi	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law and customary law
Malaysia	Mixed	Muslim/Common law/Customary	based on English common law
Maldives	Muslim		based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters
Mali	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)	Common law		English common law
Malta	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on English common law and Roman civil law
Isle of Man	Common law		the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and Manx statutes
Northern Mariana Islands	Common law		based on US system, except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation
Marshall Islands	Common law		based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Martinique	Civil law
Mauritania	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law	a combination of Islamic law and French civil law
Mauritius	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on French civil law system with elements of English common law in certain areas
Mayotte	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Mexico	Civil law		mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system
Micronesia, Federated States of	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Moldova	Civil law		based on civil law system
Monaco	Civil law		based on French law
Mongolia	Mixed	Customary/Civil law	blend of Soviet and German systems that employ "continental" or "civil" code, case-precedent may be used to inform judges, but all decisions must refer to the law as written
Montserrat	Common law		English common law and statutory law
Montenegro	Civil law		based on civil law system
Morocco	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law	based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law systems
Mozambique	Mixed	Customary/Civil law	based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law
Burma	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law
Namibia	Mixed	Common law/Civil law	based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
Nauru	Common law		acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Nepal	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law
Netherlands	Civil law		based on civil law system incorporating French penal theory
Netherlands Antilles	Civil law		based on Dutch civil law system with some English common law influence
New Caledonia	Civil law		based on French civil law, the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands
New Zealand	Common law		based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for the Maori
Nicaragua	Civil law		civil law system
Niger	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system and customary law
Nigeria	Mixed	Common law/Muslim/Customary	based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and traditional law
Niue	Common law		English common law
Norfolk Island	Common law		based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts, English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law
Northern Ireland (uk)	Common law
Norway	Civil law		mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions
Oman	Mixed	Muslim/Customary/Civil law	based on English common law and Islamic law, ultimate appeal to the monarch
Pakistan	Mixed	Muslim/Common law	based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state
Palau	Common law		based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Palestine	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim
Panama	Civil law		based on civil law system
Papua New Guinea	Mixed	Customary/Common law	based on English common law
Paraguay	Civil law		based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes
Peru	Civil law		based on civil law system
Philippines	Mixed	Common law/Civil law	based on Spanish and Anglo-American law
Pitcairn Islands	Common law		local island by-laws
Poland	Civil law		based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory, changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process
Puerto Rico	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice
Portugal	Civil law		based on civil law system, the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation
Qatar	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law/Common law/Customary	based on Islamic and civil law codes, discretionary system of law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being implemented, Islamic law dominates family and personal matters
Quebec	Mixed	Civil law/Common law
Réunion	Civil law
Romania	Civil law		based on civil law system
Russia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Rwanda	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law
Saint Barthélemy	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint Helena	Common law
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Common law		based on English common law
Saint Lucia	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on English common law
Saint Martin	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Common law		based on English common law
Samoa	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law and local customs
American Samoa	Common law
San Marino	Civil law		based on civil law system with Italian law influences
Sao Tome and Principe	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on Portuguese legal system and customary law
Saudi Arabia	Muslim		based on sharia law, several secular codes have been introduced, commercial disputes handled by special committees
Scotland	Mixed	Civil law/Common law
Senegal	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on French civil law system
Serbia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Seychelles	Mixed	Common law/Civil law	based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
Sierra Leone	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes
Singapore	Mixed	Common law/Muslim	based on English common law
Slovakia	Civil law		civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes
Slovenia	Civil law		based on civil law system
Solomon Islands	Mixed	Common law/Customary	English common law, which is widely disregarded
Somalia	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law/Common law/Customary	no national system, a mixture of English common law, Italian law, Islamic sharia, and Somali customary law
South Africa	Mixed	Civil law/Common law	based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law
South Georgia and the Islands	Common law
Spain	Civil law		civil law system, with regional applications
Sri Lanka	Mixed	Civil law/Common law/Customary	a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Kandyan, and Jaffna Tamil law
Sudan	Mixed	Muslim/Common law	based on English common law and Islamic law, as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states, Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion
Suriname	Civil law		based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory
Swaziland	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts
Sweden	Civil law		civil law system influenced by customary law
Switzerland	Civil law		civil law system influenced by customary law
Syria	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law
Taiwan	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	based on civil law system
Tajikistan	Civil law		based on civil law system
Tanzania	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law
Thailand	Civil law		based on civil law system with influences of common law
Togo	Mixed	Civil law/Customary	French-based court system
Tokelau	Common law		New Zealand and local statutes
Tonga	Common law		based on English common law
Trinidad and Tobago	Common law		based on English common law
Tunisia	Mixed	Civil law/Muslim	based on French civil law system and Islamic law
Turkey	Civil law		civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems, note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights
Turkmenistan	Civil law		based on Soviet civil law system and Islamic law
Turks and Caicos Islands	Common law		based on laws of England and Wales with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
Tuvalu	Common law		English common law supplemented by local customary law
Uganda	Mixed	Common law/Customary	in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law
Ukraine	Civil law		based on civil law system
United Arab Emirates	Mixed	Muslim/Customary	based on a dual system of sharia and civil courts
United Kingdom	Common law		based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences, has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
United States	Common law		federal court system based on English common law, each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is based on English common law, judicial review of legislative acts
Uruguay	Civil law		based on Spanish civil law system
Uzbekistan	Civil law		based on civil law system
Vanuatu	Mixed	Civil law/Customary/Common law	unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
Holy See (Vatican City)	Civil law		based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it
Venezuela	Civil law		open, adversarial court system
Vietnam	Civil law		based on communist legal theory and French civil law system
Virgin Islands	Common law		based on US laws
British Virgin Islands	Common law		English law
Wallis and Futuna	Civil law		the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Yemen	Mixed	Muslim/Civil law/Common law/Customary	based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law
Zambia	Mixed	Common law/Customary	based on English common law and customary law
Zimbabwe	Mixed	Civil law/Common law/Customary	mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
No Results

Filter :

View all comments (6)
Respond to this visualizations...

International Criminal Court Participation

Legal Systems of the World

Source

Citation

International Criminal Court Participation

International Court of Justice Participation

Legal Voting Age around the World

Minimum Legal Age to Marry - Men

Legal Systems of the World

Source

Citation

Related charts / graphs

International Criminal Court Participation

International Court of Justice Participation

Legal Voting Age around the World

Minimum Legal Age to Marry - Men

You Might Also Like Our Friends' Posts