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The legal status ofpolygamy varies widely around the world.Polygamy is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them beingMuslim-majority countries. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent.
In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is commonly calledbigamy, though the penalty varies between jurisdictions. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, the prohibition isnot enforced.
Algeria[1]
Cameroon[2]
Chad[3]
Central African Republic[4]
Comoros[i]
Republic of the Congo[5]
Djibouti[6]
Egypt[7]
Eswatini[8]
Gabon:[9] Both men and women can join in polygamous marriage with the other gender under Gabonese law. In practice, the right to multiple spouses is reserved for men only.[10]
The Gambia[11]
Guinea[12]
Guinea-Bissau[i]
Libya[13][14][15]
Kenya: Polygamy legal under legislation passed in 2014.[16]
Mali[17]
Mauritania[18]
Morocco[19]
Nigeria (only in some states)[20]
São Tomé and Príncipe[21]
Senegal[22]
Somalia[23]
Somaliland[24]
South Sudan[25]
South Africa is recognized for customary marriages. The Supreme Court also ruled that Muslim marriages performed underSharia law are valid.[26][27][28]
Sudan[29]
Togo[30]
Tanzania[31]
Uganda[32]
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Zambia[33]
Afghanistan[34]
Bahrain[35]
Bangladesh[36]
Bhutan[37][38]
Brunei[39]
Indonesia (except for in the provinces of Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua)[citation needed][40][failed verification]
Iran[41]
Iraq (except for inIraqi Kurdistan)[42]
Jordan[43]
Kuwait[44]
Maldives[45]
Oman[46]
Qatar[47]
Palestine[48]
Saudi Arabia[49]
Syria (except inSyrian Kurdistan)[50]
United Arab Emirates[51]
Yemen[52]
Solomon Islands[53]Note: These countries are included separately because they have specific legislation aimed only at Muslims.
Malaysia[54]
Philippines, only for "exceptional cases" even among Muslims where a man could provide for his wives with equal companionship.[55][56][57]
Sri Lanka[citation needed]
Lebanon[58]
Pakistan[59]
Singapore
India[60]India (forMuslims[60] and inGoa[61])
Africa
Botswana[62]
Lesotho[63]
Liberia[64]
Malawi[65]
Namibia[66]
Niger[67]Nigeria (only in some states):[68] Recognized in all northern Sharia states
Sierra Leone[69]
Zimbabwe[70]Polygamy is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent, being most common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" inWest Africa andCentral Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygamy prevalence in the world beingBurkina Faso,Mali,Gambia,Niger andNigeria.[71] In the region ofsub-Saharan Africa, polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa living in such marriages (25% of the Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019).[72] Polygamous marriages occur, regardless of legality, as the practice is deeply rooted in culture and often supported byIslam in Africa.
Angola[73]
Benin[74]
Burkina Faso[75]
Burundi[76]
Cabo Verde[77]
Democratic Republic of the Congo[78]
Côte d'Ivoire: Polygamy may be punishable by six months to three years imprisonment, or a fine ofCFA 50,000 to CFA 500,000 (US$80 to US$800).[79]
Eritrea: Illegal since 1977, after 2015 polygamy is punishable with "a definite term of imprisonment of not less than 6 months and not more than 12 months, or a fine of 20,001 – 50,000 Nakfas."[80]
Equatorial Guinea[81][82][83]
Ghana[84][85]
Ethiopia[86][87]
Madagascar[88]
Mauritius
Mayotte (French territory) (not criminalized): Considered to be de facto illegal since a referendum sponsored by France in March 2009, forcing the island to comply with the French laws.[89][90] However, pre-existing Muslim marriages are currently still valid.
Mozambique[91]
Rwanda[92]
Seychelles
Tunisia: Polygamy has been banned and criminalized since 1956[93] according to Article 18 of theCode of Personal Status and punishable by one year's imprisonment.
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil: Bigamy is illegal. The marriage of a single individual to more than one other person is prohibited by law as bigamy, which is punishable by two to six years of imprisonment,[94] and is valid for every Brazilian citizen, including naturalized ones.De facto polygamy is not outlawed.
Canada: All forms of polygamy, and some informal multiple sexual relationships, are illegal under section 293 of theCriminal Code.[95]Bigamy is banned by section 290.[96] However, as of January 2009, no person has beensuccessfully prosecuted, i.e. convicted, in over sixty years.[97] In 2009, two acquittals on polygamy charges, arising out of the town ofBountiful, British Columbia, prompted the government ofBritish Columbia to pose areference question to theSupreme Court of British Columbia (i.e., thesuperior trial court). The reference questions asked if the criminalisation of polygamy was consistent with theCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and, if so, under what circumstances could people be legally punished for polygamy.[98] In November 2011 the court released its 335-page long decision, which was that the criminal offence of polygamy is indeed constitutional, but that it should not be used to prosecute minors for having taken part in a polygamous marriage.[99] Chief JusticeRobert J. Bauman conceded that there is a conflict between this law and some civil rights principles, but stated that there are other and "more important" issues which in this case take precedence. He wrote (as quoted byCBC News[99]): "I have concluded that this case is essentially about harm. More specifically, Parliament's reasoned apprehension of harm arising out of the practice of polygamy. This includes harm to women, to children, to society and the institution of monogamous marriage." Bauman argued that there are cases where the "wives" (who may be rather young; sometimes as young as 12 years) are abducted and abused, but because they believe in faith-promoting polygamy, they are not willing to bring complaints to the authorities. He reasoned that these offences sometimes may be stopped by applying anti-polygamy legislation. The decision was welcomed by theAttorney General of British Columbia, and by a representative for the group Stop Polygamy in Canada. Likewise, according to CBC News,[99] somepolyamorous groups in Canada expressed their relief since Bauman had stated that the law shouldn't apply to them unless they decide to formalize their unions. Women's rights were central to the decision.[99]
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and The Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States: Polygamy is illegal in all50 states,[100]De facto polygamy is illegal under federal law, theEdmunds Act. Utah, in February 2020, reduced polygamy to the status of a traffic ticket;[101][102] nevertheless recognizing that polygamous unions are illegal under theConstitution of Utah.[103] Polygamy is illegal federally according to theEdmunds Act.
Uruguay
VenezuelaAs in Africa, polygamy continues to be practiced in parts of Asia, regardless of laws.
Nepal
China: Polygamy is illegal under the Civil code passed in 2020, which replaced a similar 1950 and 1980 prohibition.[104]
Hong Kong: Polygamy ended with the passing of the Marriage Act of 1971[105] when the country was a crown colony under the former flag
. Previous unions entered into under customary law are recognised in some situations.
Israel: Polygamy has been banned for all confessional communities since at least 1959.[106] Polygamy was criminalized in 1977, but the law is not consistently enforced and polygamy is still practiced byNegev Bedouins.[107]
Japan
Kazakhstan: Polygamous marriages are not recognized, but the practice is decriminalized, with Kazakhstan being the only Central Asian country to have decriminalized the practice (in 1998, when the new criminal code no longer provided for such an offense).[108]
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Myanmar[109][110]
North Korea
South Korea
Taiwan (Polygamy is illegalby the 1930ROC civil law.[clarify])[111]
Tajikistan
Turkey (Polygamy was criminalized in 1926 with the adoption of the Turkish Civil Code, part ofAtatürk'ssecularist reforms. Penalties for polygamy are imprisonment of up to 5 years.)[112] Turkey has long been known for its promotion ofsecularism,[113][114][115] and has introduced measures establishing stricter bars against polygamy; these were passed by the ruling moderate IslamistAK Party as well. In March 2009, AK Parti effectively banned polygamists from entering or living in the country.[116]
Turkmenistan
Uzbekistan: Religious authorities who perform a marriage ceremony for couples without a civil marriage license face fines of up to 9,900,000so'm. Additionally, propagandizing or encouraging cohabitation with two or more wives is punishble by a fine of the same amount, or administrative detention for up to 15 days.[117]
Vietnam
Cambodia[118]
Laos
Russia: Polygamous marriages are not recognized in the Russian Federation. TheFamily Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else.[119] Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries.[120] However, neither bigamy norde facto polygamy are criminalized.[121]
Thailand[122]
Timor-Leste[123]
Albania
Armenia
Andorra
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Union: Polygamy is illegal in all27 states. In Bulgaria, polygamy is illegal and punishable with up to three years imprisonment.[124] In Finland, the official prosecutor is obliged to take all cases to a court where more than two persons are married to each other and such relationships cease to exist after the court has decided it.[125] Polygamic marriages performed abroad may be recognized only on narrow occasions, for instance in child custody matters.[126] InFrance, polygamy is illegal under Article 433-20 of the Penal Code and punishable by one year's imprisonment and a fine of €45,000.[127] In Germany, polygamy is illegal, legally punishable with fine or prison time up to three years.[128] Polygamous marriages contracted abroad are legal, however, the German authorities announced plans to close this legal loophole by making it a barrier tonaturalization.[129] In Ireland,[130] theCatholic Church in Ireland allowed someone with achurch annulment but nocivil annulment to remarry in church; such a marriage was legally null and bigamous but no prosecutions were brought.[131][132] The practice ended afterthe 1996 legalisation of divorce.[131] In 2017, theSupreme Court ruled that if someone had two legal marriages abroad, only the first was legal in Ireland, though 'that did not necessarily mean [the second] marriage "can never have legal consequences [in Ireland]"'.[133] In the Netherlands, a marriage between more than two individuals is prohibited; however, asamenlevingscontract may include more than two partners. It legally accepts immigrants who are in such a union from a country where it is legal; e.g. if a man with two wives immigrates to The Netherlands, all three will be legally recognized.[134] In Romania, bigamy, defined as marriage conducted by a person who is already married, is punishable by up to 2 years in prison or fine. Knowingly marrying a married person is punishable by up to 1 year in prison or by fine.[135] In Sweden, a person who is already married is not permitted to enter into another marriage. In the past, Sweden generally recognized polygamous marriages performed abroad.[136][137][138] However, the Swedish government decided to task an inquiry chair with reviewing how to prevent recognition of foreign polygamous marriages in Sweden; Deputy Minister for Justice, Heléne Fritzon stating that "Polygamous marriages should not be recognised in Sweden and we need to review the existing legal loophole that makes it possible. Polygamous marriages undermine gender equality and, according to the UN, it can have serious emotional and financial consequences".[139] Since 2021, Sweden no longer recognizes foreign polygamous marriages, save in exceptional circumstances.[140]
Georgia
Iceland
Kosovo
Liechtenstein
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
North Macedonia
NorwayRussia: Polygamous marriages are not recognized in Russia. TheFamily Code of Russia states that a marriage can only be contracted between a man and a woman, neither of whom is married to someone else.[119] Furthermore, Russia does not recognize polygamous marriages that had been contracted in other countries.[120] However, neither bigamy norde facto polygamy are criminalized.[121]
San Marino
Serbia
Switzerland: Polygamy is illegal by law. But polygamous marriage conducted in another country may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis.[141] Turkey
Ukraine
United Kingdom: Foreign polygamous marriages grant some welfare benefits only, but this is being phased out with the introduction of Universal Credit.[142] Polygamy is treated as bigamy if a second marriage (or civil partnership) is contracted in the United Kingdom. No legal recognition is extended to spouses of subsequent marriages after the first marriage is recognised even when subsequent marriages are contracted abroad.
Vatican City (Holy See)
Australia: Polygamous marriages cannot be performed in Australia, but polygamous relationships are still common within some indigenous Australian communities.[143][144] Polygamous marriages entered into abroad are recognised for limited purposes[which?] only.[145]
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
New Zealand: Polygamous marriages cannot be performed in New Zealand, but are permissible if they are legally performed in a country that permits polygamy.
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Tonga
Tuvalu
VanuatuIn most countries, a person who marries a person while still being lawfully married to another commitsbigamy, acriminal offence, though penalties vary between jurisdictions. Besides, the second and subsequent marriages are considered legally null andvoid.
The United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand permit some benefits for spouses of polygamous marriages performed abroad. In the past, Sweden used to recognize polygamous marriages performed abroad; butsince 2021, Sweden no longer recognizes such marriages, save in exceptional circumstances.[140] In Switzerland polygamous marriages conducted abroad may be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis;[146] see§ Europe.
In Canada, both bigamy (article 290 of theCriminal code of Canada)[147]) andde facto polygamy (article 293 of the Criminal Code)[148] are illegal, but there are provisions in the property law of at least the Canadian province ofSaskatchewan that consider the possibility ofde facto multiple marriage-like situations (e.g. if an already married person enters into a second common-law relationship situation without first obtaining a legal divorce from their existing spouse).[149][better source needed]
The vast majority of sovereign states with a Muslim-majority population recognize polygamous marriages: these states span from the West Africa to Southeast Asia, with the exceptions ofTurkey,Tunisia,Albania,Kosovo andCentral Asian countries.[150][151][152][153]
Predominantly Christian nations usually do not allow polygamy, with a handful of exceptions such as theRepublic of the Congo, Uganda, andZambia.
Almost a dozen countries that do not permit polygamous civil marriages recognize polygamous marriages under customary law. All thenorthern states in Nigeria governed by IslamicSharia law recognize polygamous marriages. Theautonomous regions of Somaliland andPuntland in northern Somalia also recognize polygamy, as does the country'sTransitional Federal Government itself, since the country is governed bySharia law. The recently independent country ofSouthern Sudan also recognizes polygamy.
Polyandry isde facto the norm in rural areas ofTibet, although it is illegal under Chinesefamily law. Polygamy continues in Bhutan[38] in various forms as it has since ancient times. It is also found in parts of Nepal,[154] despite its formal illegality in the country.[155]
Debates of legalizing polygamous marriages continue in Central Asian countries.[citation needed]
In 2000, theUnited Nations Human Rights Committee reported that polygamy violates theInternational Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), citing concerns that the lack of "equality of treatment with regard to the right to marry" meant that polygamy, restricted to polygyny in practice, violates the dignity of women and should be outlawed.[156] Specifically, the reports to UN Committees have noted violations of the ICCPR due to these inequalities[157] and reports to the General Assembly of the UN have recommended it be outlawed.[158][159]
Some countries where polygamy is legal are not signatories of ICCPR, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, Malaysia, Brunei and South Sudan; so that ICCPR does not apply to these countries.[160] It has been argued by theDepartment of Justice of Canada that polygyny is a violation of international human rights law.[161]
The tables below cover recent pieces of legislation that have been either debated, proposed or voted on; all of which concerns a form of polygamous union.
| Country | Date | Polygamous union | Upper House | Lower House | Head of State | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
 Iraq | 1963 | Polygamous civil marriage (revoke of prohibitions)[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed |  Yes | ||
 Philippines | February 1977 | Polygamous civil marriage (Muslims only)[163] | - | - | Signed | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | 1987 or earlier | Foreign marriages may receive benefits payments, being phased out[142] | ||||||
| Malawi | 1994 | Customary law (recognizes polygamous unions)[164] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Libya | 1998 | Polygamous civil marriage[165] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| South Africa | 1998 | Customary marriage (civil recognition)[166] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Namibia | 2003 | Customary law (recognizes polygamous unions)[167] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Namibia | 2004 | Pension benefits to wives of a deceased president[168] | - | Failed | - |  No | ||
| Uganda | 2005 | Polygamous civil marriage (easing of laws; plus restrictions) | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage[169] | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Kazakhstan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage[169] | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Uzbekistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Tajikistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Turkmenistan | 2007 | Polygamous civil marriage | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Kazakhstan | June 2008 | Polygamous civil marriage[170] | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Iran | September 2008 | Polygamous civil marriage (easing of laws)[171] | Failed | - | - | - | No | |
| Namibia | July 2009 | Polygamous civil marriage[172] | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
| Russia | 2009 | Polygamous civil marriage | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
| Kenya | March 2014 | Polygamous civil marriage | Passed[16] | - | - | - | Yes | |
| Country | Date | Prohibition type | Upper House | Lower House | Head of State | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
 United States | July 1862 | Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act, which made polygamy amisdemeanor offense in US territories and other areas where the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction. | ' | ' | Signed | Yes | ||
 United States | March 1882 | Edmunds Act, which reinforced Morrill by making polygamy afelony in the jurisdictions covered by Morrill; also prohibited "bigamous" or "unlawful cohabitation" as a misdemeanor offense, which removed the need to prove that actual marriages had occurred in order to obtain convictions on polygamy related charges. | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Turkestan ASSR (modernKyrgyzstan) | October 1921 | Outlaws polygamy[173] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Thailand | October 1935 | Outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriage[174] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| North Vietnam (modernVietnam) | October 1950 | Outlaws polygamy | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Syria | 1953 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| India | 1955 | Outlaws Polygamy (Polygamy for Muslims was outlawed after a verdict by theSupreme Court of India in 2015)[175] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Tunisia | 1956 | Ban on polygamy; polygamous marriages[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Iraq | 1959 | Ban on polygamy; polygamous marriage[162] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Revoked | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | 1964 | New penal code outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriages (upholds existing) | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Hong Kong (modernHong Kong) | 1971 | Outlaws polygamy[177] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Eritrean People's Liberation Front (modernEritrea) | 1977 | Outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriage (districts under Sharia exempt)[178] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Egypt | 1979 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage; ease of divorce laws[176] | Passed; abrogated | - | - | - | No | |
| Egypt | 1985 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (less liberal)[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 France | 1993 | Outlaws family reunion for polygamist immigrants[179] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Uganda | December 2003 | Outlaws polygamy[180] | Failed | - | - | No | ||
| Morocco | 2003 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Benin | August 2004 | New penal code outlaws polygamy; polygamous marriages (upholds existing)[181] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Morocco | February 2005 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (heavy restrictions)[182] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Uganda | July 2005 | Outlaws polygamy[183] | Failed | - | - | No | ||
| Indonesia | 2007 | Bans civil servants from living polygamously[184] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Morocco | May 2008 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage (heavy restrictions)[citation needed] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Uganda | June 2008 | Outlaws polygamy[180] | Failed | - | - | No | ||
 Iraqi Kurdistan | Nov. 2008 | Outlaws polygamy except in selective circumstances[185] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Mayotte | March 2009 | 2009 Mahoran status referendum (passage outlaws polygamy)[186] | Territory-wide referendum | Yes | ||||
| Turkey | May 2009 | Disallows polygamists from immigrating into the country[187][failed verification] | Yes | |||||
| Indonesia | July 2009 | Restrictions on polygamous marriage[188] | Pending | Pending | - | - | ||
| Namibia | July 2009 | Ban on polygamy and polygamous customary marriages | Proposed | - | - | - | - | |
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)The practice of polygamy is legal in the Central African Republic but faces growing resistance among educated women
We all know male polygamy is legal.
[Polygamy] legally becomes theoretically almost impossible if not completely impossible.
Polygamy is commonly practiced in many African societies, including South Sudan.
Although Angolan law condemns polygamy, or multiple marriages, the practice is widespread in a country with a large share of female-headed households and where woman are often left alone to care for their children.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Although polygamy is prohibited in Mozambique there is no punishment. Across the country nearly a third of married women are thought to be in polygamous marriages, according to a NORAD survey.
The modern constitution forbids polygamy; some say it is commonly practiced more often when family economics permit.
The State does not recognise church decrees of annulment. In effect, all marriages celebrated after a church decree of annulment are bigamous and priests celebrating these marriages are accessories before the fact to bigamy and liable to criminal prosecution. ... we have turned a blind eye to the celebration of bigamous marriages and abandoned couples who celebrate them to a legal limbo for so many years.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)