A guide to the countries that legally recognise same-sex unions and marriages by country and status of the types of unions recognised
Like in traditional heterosexual marriages, same-sex unions or marriages are not only a declaration of love or wanting to share your life with someone, but also the legal protection and rights achieved through having the relationship recognised under the law.
To help you quickly find those countries that legally recognise same-sex unions and marriages, we have created an interactive map and sortable table.
Click on a specific country within the map to learn what types of same-sex unions and marriages that particular country legal recognises
Green – a country that recognises some form of same-sex marriage or civil union
You can quickly sort, filter and search the data within any table. To sort the columns into ascending or descending order, click on the heading. If you wish to filter, check the relevant tick box or enter a keyword into the filter box found below the available heading. If you want to learn more about any individual country, click on the country name which will take you directly to the country’s profile page within the Gayther site
- Austria legalised same-sex marriages
- Taiwan legalised same-sex marriages
- Ecuador legalised same-sex marriages in a ruling landmark decision
- Methodist, Evangelical, Lutheran and National Churches are now recognising blessings of same-sex marriages
- In 2019, there were an estimated 200.8 million individuals worldwide within the LGBT community, of that: -
- 18% can form civil unions or partnerships
- 15% can form same-sex marriages
- Asia remains the lowest continent in terms of recognising same-sex marriages with only 2% of countries legalising marriages, followed by Africa with 7% of countries recognising marriages
- Europe is the highest continent with 40% of countries recognising same-sex marriages and 63% of countries recognising civil unions and partnerships
- Only two sub-regions (North America and Australasia) have 100% in terms of countries recognising same-sex marriages
- The LGBTQ+ same-sex union and marriage guide is correct as at 04-Jan-2020
- The LGBTQ+ same-sex union and marriage guide has been compiled using a variety of sources, including news articles, publications and various pages within Wikipedia
Spotted an error or have a suggestion?
We at Gayther try our best to provide you with the latest and most accurate information; however, we may sometimes make mistakes. If you spot an error or you have a suggestion, we would love to hear from you
Getting in contact is easy, make a note of the page reference and select the improvements button located to the right >>