Gay marriage legality by country

The 32 countries around the planet where same-sex marriage is legal

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  • There are currently 32 countries that allow queer couples to marry.
  • The latest nation to pass legislation was Slovenia, which did so on October 4,
  • Most countries have 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 hold seen global support increase in recent years. Australia, Malta, and Germany legalized same-sex marriage in , and Taiwan made history in , 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, , after the Constitutional Court of Slovenia overturned a prior ban on same-sex marriages in July, arguing that it violat

Marriage Equality Around the World

The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the world. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of community, national and regional advocates and share tools, resources, and lessons learned to enable 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 United Kingdom, the United States of America and Uruguay. 

These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions. 

Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in

Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove

Countries Where Same-sex attracted Marriage Is Legal

For many years, same-sex marriage has been a warm topic of endless debate. Supporters of same-sex marriage state that a bond and subsequent marriage between two people of the similar sex is innate 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 lgbtq+ marriage. These people may have religious beliefs that inform them this is wrong. Others declare 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 ban gay marriage. Even if a wedding ceremony is performed, these couples are not known by the government as legally married. Not every nation in the earth is involved in the conversation surrounding gay marriage, but a large percentage

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 Joined States.

To commemorate this milestone in LGBTQ history, we are taking a watch at countries around the world that have officially legalized same-sex marriage. Nearly 30 out of countries have passed laws allowing gay marriage, according to the Pew Research Center.

Below is a timeline for the countries where gay marriage is officially legal. The year marks when the law was first enacted in that country.

The Netherlands

The country became the first in the world to legalize lgbtq+ marriage. The following year, four couples married in the world’s first queer wedding in [Associated Press]

Belgium

Three years after the new law was enacted, the country’s parliament granted same-sex couples the right to adopt in [Pew Research Center]

Canada

The nation's traditional definition of civil marriage was changed to include the union between same-sex couples. [Pew Explore Center]

Spain

The new l