International Policies on Same-Sex Marriage

Updated September 9, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

Marriage equality varies greatly throughout the globe. According to the Human Rights Campaign, same-sex marriage is legal in 20 countries, legal in some jurisdictions in 2 countries, a criminal offense in 75 countries, and punishable by death in 10 countries.

Related Links A Primer on Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, Domestic Partnerships, and Defense of Marriage Acts Milestones in the Gay Rights Movement The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline

Legal

Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark (including Greenland), Finland (likely to take effect in 2016), France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands (including the Netherlands Caribbean), New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, the United States of America, and Uruguay

Legal in Some Jurisdictions

Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Guerrero, Jalisco, Nayarit, Mexico City and Quintana Roo) and the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and the Pitcairn Islands)

Criminal Offense

Africa (Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, India, Iran, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen) Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago) South Pacific (Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu) Entities (Cook Islands, Gaza, South Sumatra and Aceh Provinces of Indonesia)

Punishable with Death

Africa (Mauritania, Sudan, as well as parts of Nigeria and Somalia) Asia (Brunei {enacted May 2014, to be enforced in 2015}, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen)