What countries have legal gay marriage
The 32 countries around the world where same-sex marriage is legal
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- There are currently 32 countries that allow same-sex couples to marry.
- The latest country to transfer legislation was Slovenia, which did so on October 4, 2022.
- Most countries hold legalized same-sex marriage via legislation, but some were through court decisions.
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People fighting for same-sex marriage rights around the world have seen global support raise in recent years. Australia, Malta, and Germany legalized homosexual marriage in 2017, and Taiwan made history in 2019, becoming the first government in Asia to welcome legislation on marriage equality.
Slovenia became the first post-communist country to legalize it on October 4, 2022, after the Constitutional Court of Slovenia overturned a prior ban on lgbtq+ marriages in July, arguing that it violated the country's constitution. The court gave the Slovenian government six
Same-sex marriage represents a critical milestone in the Queer rights movement, allowing couples of the same sex to legally marry and receive the same marital benefits as heterosexual couples. The journey towards legalization has been varied across the globe, influenced by cultural, religious, and political factors. In some regions, the push for marriage equality has gained significant traction and achieved legal recognition, often after prolonged public and legal battles.
While full marriage equality is celebrated in many places, an alternative approach through civil unions or local partnerships persists in others. These frameworks typically grant a subset of rights that marriage offers, focusing on aspects like property rights or hospital visitation. However, they often collapse short in areas such as inheritance, pension rights, and parental responsibilities, stressing a gap in the legal recognition of relationships.
The acceptance and implementation of same-sex marriage have brought substantial legal benefits, including inheritance rights, tax reductions, and enhanced health insurance options, which are central for the security and well-being of families. This progr
Marriage Equality Around the World
The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the nature. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of society, national and regional advocates and contribute tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.
Current State of Marriage Equality
There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Together Kingdom, the Merged States of America and Uruguay.
These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions.
Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in 2025
Liechtenstein: On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effect January 1, 2025.
Countries Where Gay Marriage Is Legal 2025
For many years, same-sex marriage has been a heated topic of endless debate. Supporters of same-sex marriage say that a affair and subsequent marriage between two people of the same sex is instinctive and normal. These supporters believe that a person does not choose to be gay and is instead born this way. Supporters also say that same-sex couples are just as capable as heterosexual couples when it comes to getting married, living together, and raising children.
On the flip side, there are people that are against gay marriage. These people may have religious beliefs that tell them this is wrong. Others say that same-sex relationships and marriage is abnormal and can have negative effects on children that are raised in a same-sex household.
However, there are still nations around the world that outright exclude gay marriage. Even if a wedding ceremony is performed, these couples are not recognized by the government as legally married. Not every country in the world is emotionally attached in the conversation surrounding gay marriage, but a large percentage of the world’s nations have either legalized same-sex marriage, permitted gay marriage in cert
Here are the countries where same-sex marriage is officially legal
June 26 marks the fifth anniversary of gay marriage being legalized across the entire Combined States.
To commemorate this milestone in LGBTQ history, we are taking a peer at countries around the world that have officially legalized same-sex marriage. Nearly 30 out of 195 countries have passed laws allowing gay marriage, according to the Pew Study Center.
Below is a timeline for the countries where same-sex marriage is officially legal. The year marks when the law was first enacted in that country.
2000: The Netherlands
The region became the first in the world to legalize same-sex marriage. The tracking year, four couples married in the world’s first same-sex wedding in 2001. [Associated Press]
2003: Belgium
Three years after the new statute was enacted, the country’s parliament granted same-sex couples the right to adopt in 2006. [Pew Study Center]
2005: Canada
The nation's traditional definition of civil marriage was changed to incorporate the union between lgbtq+ couples. [Pew Research Center]
2005: Spain
The new law gave same-sex couples all of the same marital and adoption righ