Same-sex marriage is legal in the following countries: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, theNetherlands,[nb 1]New Zealand,[nb 2]Norway,Portugal,Slovenia,South Africa,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Taiwan,Thailand, theUnited Kingdom,[nb 3] theUnited States,[nb 4] andUruguay.
Same-sex marriage is recognized, but not performed, inIsrael[citation needed]. Furthermore, same-sex marriages performed elsewhere in the Kingdom of the Netherlands are recognized inSint Maarten. Whethersame-sex couples should be allowed tomarry has been and remains the topic of debate worldwide. 32 countries and four jurisdictions worldwide have passedconstitutional amendments that explicitly prohibit the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and sometimes other forms of legal unions as well. Sixteen countries and 34 jurisdictions worldwide have authorizedcivil unions orunregistered cohabitation for same-sex couples as an alternative to marriage. The legal name of those unions as well as the number of rights that they provide can vary greatly.
The first legislation ofunregistered cohabitation wasintroduced in the Netherlands in June 1979.[1][2] However, the first substantial recognition of same-sex couples did not occur before the introduction of a new legal form, that ofregistered partnerships, which wasfirst enacted in Denmark in June 1989.[3] Many countries have followed with similar legislation since then. Legislation of these forms of legal unions still occur with a variety of different names, even after the introduction of same sex marriage, although sometimes they are overwritten by subsequent legislation of same-sex marriage.
As of 23 May 2025, certain alternative form of legal recognition other than marriage has been allowed on a national level inBolivia,Croatia,Cyprus,Czechia,Hungary,Italy,Latvia,Monaco,Montenegro, andSan Marino.
As of 23 May 2025, legislation to allow an alternative form of legal recognition of same-sex couples other than marriage is pending, or has passed at least one legislative house on a national level inKosovo,Peru andPoland.
As of 23 May 2025, same-sex marriage has been legal (nationwide or in some parts) inAndorra,Argentina,Australia,Austria,Belgium,Brazil,Canada,Chile,Colombia,Costa Rica,Cuba,Denmark,Ecuador,Estonia,Finland,France,Germany,Greece,Iceland,Ireland,Liechtenstein,Luxembourg,Malta,Mexico, theNetherlands,[nb 1]New Zealand,[nb 2]Norway,Portugal,Slovenia,South Africa,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Taiwan,Thailand, theUnited Kingdom,[nb 3] theUnited States,[nb 4] andUruguay.
As of 23 May 2025, legislation to allow same-sex marriage is pending or considered in at least one legislative house on a national level inItaly,Japan,Venezuela andVietnam.
| Country | Date | Same-sex union | Upper house | Lower house | Head of state | Law enacted? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
 Netherlands | June 1979 | Unregistered cohabitation[1][2] | Passed | Passed | Signed |  Yes | ||
| Netherlands | December 1980 | Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[1][2] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Netherlands | November 1984 | Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[1][2] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Denmark | June 1986 | Unregistered cohabitation[2][4][5] | — | 78 | 62 | Signed | Yes | |
 Sweden | June 1987 | Unregistered cohabitation[6] | — | Passed | —[a 1] | Yes | ||
| Denmark | June 1989 | Registered partnership[7][8] | — | 71 | 47 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
 Norway | July 1991 | Unregistered cohabitation[9] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Norway | April 1993 | Registered partnership[10] | 18 | 16 | 58 | 40 | Signed | Yes[a 2] |
| Sweden | June 1994 | Registered partnership[11] | — | 171 | 141 | —[a 1] | Yes[a 2] | |
 Spain | November 1994 | Unregistered cohabitation[2] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Hungary | May 1996 | Unregistered cohabitation[2][12] | — | 207 | 73 | Signed | Yes | |
 Iceland | June 1996 | Confirmed cohabitation[13][14] | — | 44 | 1 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
 Slovakia | May 1997 | Registered partnership[15] | — | Failed | — |  No | ||
| Netherlands | July 1997 | Registered partnership[1] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Czech Republic | June 1998 | Registered partnership[16] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
 France | October 1998 | Civil solidarity pact[17] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
 Belgium | January 1999 | Legal cohabitation[18][19] | 39 | 8 | 98 | 10 | Signed | Yes |
| Sweden | March 1999 | Registered partnership (expansion)[20] | — | Passed | —[a 1] | Yes[a 2] | ||
| Denmark | June 1999 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[21] | — | 61 | 48 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| France | November 1999 | Civil Solidarity Pact and Concubinage[22] | Passed | 315 | 249 | Signed | Yes | |
| Czech Republic | December 1999 | Registered partnership[23] | — | — | 69 | 91 | — | No |
| Slovakia | February 2000 | Registered partnership[15] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
 Canada | April 2000 | Common-law partnership[24][25][26] | Passed | 174 | 72 | Signed | Yes | |
| Iceland | May 2000 | Confirmed cohabitation (expansion: adoption and immigration rights)[27] | — | 49 | 1 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| Netherlands | December 2000 | Marriage[28][29] | 49 | 26 | 109 | 33 | Signed | Yes |
| Norway | December 2000 | Registered partnership (expansion)[9][30] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Germany | February 2001 | Registered life partnership[31] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Portugal | March 2001 | De facto union[32][33] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 New Zealand | April 2001 | De facto relationship[34] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | April 2001 | Unregistered cohabitation[35] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Norway | June 2001 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[36][37] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Finland | September 2001 | Registered partnership[38] | — | 99 | 84 | Signed | Yes | |
| Czech Republic | October 2001 | Registered partnership[39] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Sweden | June 2002 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[40] | — | Passed | —[a 1] | Yes[a 2] | ||
| Belgium | February 2003 | Marriage[41] | 46 | 15 | 91 | 22 | Signed | Yes |
| Denmark | May 2003 | Registered partnership (expansion)[42] | — | 49 | 60 | — | No | |
| Denmark | May 2003 | Registered partnership (expansion)[43] | — | 45 | 60 | — | No | |
| Denmark | May 2003 | Registered partnership (expansion)[44] | — | 43 | 61 | — | No | |
| Denmark | June 2003 | Registered partnership (expansion)[45] | — | 11 | 94 | — | No | |
 Croatia | July 2003 | Unregistered cohabitation[46] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Luxembourg | May 2004 | Free union[47] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Luxembourg | May 2004 | Marriage[48] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Luxembourg | July 2004 | Partnership[49] | — | 33 | 7 | Signed | Yes | |
 Panama | September 2004 | Civil union[50] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Germany | October 2004 | Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[51] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
| Norway | November 2004 | Marriage[52] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
 United Kingdom | November 2004 | Civil partnership[53] | 251 | 136 | 426 | 49 | Signed | Yes |
| New Zealand | November 2004 | De facto relationship (expansion)[54] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New Zealand | December 2004 | Civil union[55] | — | 65 | 55 | Signed | Yes | |
| Czech Republic | February 2005 | Registered partnership[56] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
 Andorra | March 2005 | Stable couple union[57] | — | Passed | Signed[a 3] | Yes | ||
 Slovenia | March 2005 | Registered partnership[58] | —[a 4] | Failed | — | No | ||
| New Zealand | March 2005 | Civil union and de facto relationship (expansion)[59][60] | — | 76 | 43 | Signed | Yes | |
| Sweden | June 2005 | Registered partnership (expansion)[61] | — | Passed | —[a 1] | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Switzerland | June 2005 | Registered partnership[62] | Passed | Passed | — | Yes | ||
| Specific referendum (58.04%) | ||||||||
| Spain | July 2005 | Marriage[63] | Vetoed[a 5] | 183 | 136 | Signed | Yes | |
| Canada | July 2005 | Marriage[64] | 47 | 21 | 158 | 133 | Signed | Yes |
| Slovenia | July 2005 | Partnership[65] | —[a 4] | 44 | 3 | Signed | Yes | |
| Croatia | October 2005 | Registered partnership[66] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Czech Republic | March 2006 | Registered partnership[67] | 65 | 14 | 86 | 54 | Vetoed[a 6] | Yes |
| Belgium | May 2006 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[68][69] | 34 | 33 | 77 | 62 | Signed | Yes |
| Spain | May 2006 | Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[70] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Denmark | June 2006 | Registered partnership (expansion)[71] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
| Iceland | June 2006 | Confirmed cohabitation (expansion)[72][73] | — | 41 | 0 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| France | June 2006 | Civil Solidarity Pact (expansion)[74] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 South Africa | November 2006 | Marriage and civil partnership[75] | 36 | 11 | 229 | 41 | Signed | Yes |
| Portugal | December 2006 | De facto union (expansion: immigration rights)[76] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Finland | December 2006 | Registered partnership (expansion)[77][78] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Spain | March 2007 | Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[70] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Colombia | June 2007 | Civil union[79] | 29 | 34 | 62 | 43 | — | No |
| Hungary | December 2007 | Registered partnership[80] | — | 185 | 154 | Signed | No[a 7] | |
 Uruguay | December 2007 | Cohabitation union[81][82] | 17 | 5 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
| Iceland | May 2008 | Confirmed cohabitation (expansion)[83][84] | — | 54 | 0 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| Norway | June 2008 | Marriage[85] | 23 | 17 | 84 | 41 | Signed | Yes |
 Ecuador | September 2008 | De facto union[86] | General constitutional referendum (69.46%) | Yes | ||||
| Portugal | October 2008 | Marriage[87] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Portugal | October 2008 | Marriage[87] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| United Kingdom | November 2008 | Civil partnership (expansion)[88] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Australia | November 2008 | De facto relationship[89] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Sweden | April 2009 | Marriage[90] | — | 261 | 22 | —[a 1] | Yes | |
| Hungary | April 2009 | Registered partnership[91][92] | — | 199 | 159 | Signed | Yes | |
| France | May 2009 | Recognition of unions performed abroad as PACS[93] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Finland | May 2009 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[94] | — | 108 | 29 | Signed | Yes | |
| Denmark | June 2009 | Registered partnership (expansion)[95] | — | 107 | 2 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| Portugal | August 2009 | De facto union (expansion: inheritance rights)[96] | — | Passed | Vetoed | No | ||
| Uruguay | September 2009 | Cohabitation union (expansion: adoption rights)[97][98] | 17 | 6 | 40 | 13 | Signed | Yes |
 Austria | December 2009 | Registered partnership[99] | 44 | 8 | 110 | 64 | Signed | Yes |
| Portugal | January 2010 | Marriage[100] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Portugal | January 2010 | Marriage[101] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Portugal | January 2010 | Registered civil union[102] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Australia | February 2010 | Marriage[103] | 5 | 45 | — | — | — | No |
| Portugal | May 2010 | Marriage[104] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Denmark | May 2010 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[105] | — | 60 | 54 | Signed | Yes[a 2] | |
| Denmark | June 2010 | Marriage[106] | — | 52 | 57 | — | No | |
| Iceland | June 2010 | Marriage[107][108] | — | 49 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Ireland | July 2010 | Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation[109][110] | 48 | 4 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
 Argentina | July 2010 | Marriage[111] | 33 | 27 | 126 | 110 | Signed | Yes |
| Luxembourg | August 2010 | Partnership (expansion)[112] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Portugal | August 2010 | De facto union (expansion: inheritance rights)[113][114] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Germany | September 2010 | Marriage[115] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
| Germany | October 2010 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[116] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Germany | April 2011 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law and adoption rights)[117] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
 Liechtenstein | June 2011 | Registered partnership[118] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Specific referendum (68.76%) | ||||||||
| France | June 2011 | Marriage[119] | — | — | 222 | 293 | — | No |
| Germany | June 2011 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[120] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
| Portugal | February 2012 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[121] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Portugal | February 2012 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[121] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Slovenia | March 2012 | Partnership (expansion)[122] | Specific referendum (45.36%) | No | ||||
 Israel | May 2012 | Marriage[123] | — | 11 | 39 | — | No | |
| Denmark | June 2012 | Marriage[124] | — | 85 | 24 | Signed | Yes | |
| Germany | June 2012 | Marriage[125][126] | — | — | 260 | 309 | — | No |
 San Marino | June 2012 | Unregistered cohabitation (only one entitlement)[127] | — | 33 | 20 | Signed | Yes | |
| Australia | September 2012 | Marriage[128] | — | — | 42 | 98 | — | No |
| Australia | September 2012 | Marriage[129] | 26 | 41 | — | — | — | No |
| Germany | October 2012 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[130] | — | — | 253 | 288 | — | No |
| Slovakia | November 2012 | Registered partnership[131] | — | 14 | 94 | — | No | |
 Poland | January 2013 | Registered partnership[132][133] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Poland | January 2013 | Registered partnership[134][135] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Poland | January 2013 | Registered partnership[136] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Poland | January 2013 | Registered partnership[137] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Poland | January 2013 | Partnership agreement[138][139] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Germany | March 2013 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[140][141] | Passed | — | — | — | No | |
| Germany | March 2013 | Marriage[142] | Passed | — | — | — | No | |
| New Zealand | April 2013 | Marriage[143] | — | 77 | 44 | Signed | Yes | |
| Colombia | April 2013 | Marriage[144] | 17 | 51 | — | — | — | No |
| Uruguay | May 2013 | Marriage[145][146] | 23 | 8 | 71 | 21 | Signed | Yes |
| Portugal | May 2013 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147] | — | 77 | 104 | — | No | |
| Portugal | May 2013 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Portugal | May 2013 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[147] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| France | May 2013 | Marriage[148][149] | 171 | 165 | 331 | 225 | Signed | Yes |
| Australia | June 2013 | Recognition of marriage performed abroad[150] | 28 | 44 | — | — | — | No |
| Germany | July 2013 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[151][152] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
| United Kingdom (England and Wales) | July 2013 | Marriage[153][154] | Passed | 366 | 161 | Signed | Yes | |
| Austria | July 2013 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[155][156] | 45 | 8 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
 Philippines | October 2013 | Registered partnership[157] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Netherlands | December 2013 | Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[158][159] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Portugal | March 2014 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[160] | — | 107 | 112 | — | No | |
 Malta | April 2014 | Civil union[161] | — | 37 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Belgium | May 2014 | Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[162][163] | 48 | 2 | 114 | 10 | Signed | Yes |
| Germany | May 2014 | Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[164][165] | — | — | 111 | 432 | — | No |
| Andorra | May 2014 | Marriage[166][167] | — | 6 | 21 | — | No | |
| Germany | June 2014 | Registered life partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[168] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Romania | June 2014 | Civil partnership[169][170] | 2 | 110 | 4 | 298 | — | No |
| Luxembourg | June 2014 | Marriage[171][172] | — | 56 | 4 | —[a 8] | Yes | |
| Croatia | July 2014 | Life partnership[173] | — | 89 | 16 | —[a 9] | Yes | |
| Germany | July 2014 | Registered life partnership (expansion: tax law)[174][175][176] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
| San Marino | September 2014 | Recognition of marriage performed abroad[177] | — | 15 | 35 | — | No | |
| Argentina | October 2014 | Cohabitation union[178][179] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Andorra | December 2014 | Civil union[180][181] | — | 20 | 3 | Signed | Yes | |
| Portugal | January 2015 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183] | — | 89 | 119 | — | No | |
| Portugal | January 2015 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183] | — | 91 | 119 | — | No | |
| Portugal | January 2015 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[182][183] | — | 91 | 120 | — | No | |
| Portugal | January 2015 | Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[182][183] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Ireland | April 2015 | Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation (expansion: step-adoption rights)[184][185] | 20 | 2 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
 Chile | April 2015 | Civil union agreement[186][187] | 25 | 6 | 78 | 9 | Signed | Yes |
| Ecuador | June 2015 | De facto union (expansion)[188][189][190][191] | — | 89 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Israel | July 2015 | Civil union[192] | — | 39 | 50 | — | No | |
| Israel | July 2015 | Marriage[192] | — | 39 | 50 | — | No | |
| Ireland | August 2015 | Marriage(constitutional amendment)[193] | 29 | 3 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
| Specific constitutional referendum (62.07%) | ||||||||
| October 2015 | Marriage(statutory legislation)[194][195][196] | Passed | Passed | Signed | ||||
| Germany | November 2015 | Registered life partnership (expansion)[197][198] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[a 2] | ||
 Cyprus | December 2015 | Civil cohabitation[199][200] | — | 39 | 12 | Signed | Yes | |
| Romania | December 2015 | Civil partnership[201][202][203] | 8 | 49 | Failed | — | No | |
| Slovenia | December 2015 | Marriage[204][205] | —[a 4] | 51 | 28 | — | No | |
| Specific referendum (36.53%) | ||||||||
 Greece | December 2015 | Cohabitation agreement[206] | — | 194 | 55 | Signed | Yes | |
 Estonia | October 2014 | Cohabitation agreement(framework law)[207][208] | — | 40 | 38 | Signed | Yes | |
| January 2016 | Cohabitation agreement(implementation law)[209][210] | — | Failed | — | No | |||
| Portugal | February 2016 | Marriage and de facto union (expansion: adoption rights)[211] | — | Passed | Vetoed[a 6] | Yes | ||
| Israel | February 2016 | Civil union[212] | — | 40 | 47 | — | No | |
| Switzerland | March 2016 | Registered partnership (expansion: immigration rights)[213][214] | — | — | 122 | 62 | — | No |
| Luxembourg | April 2016 | Recognition of marriage performed abroad before 1 January 2015[215] | — | 50 | 3 | —[a 8] | Yes | |
| Slovenia | April 2016 | Partnership (expansion)[216][217] | —[a 4] | 54 | 15 | —[a 9] | Yes | |
 Italy | May 2016 | Civil union and cohabitation agreement[218][219][220] | 173 | 71 | 372 | 51 | Signed | Yes |
| Portugal | June 2016 | Marriage and de facto union (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[221] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Switzerland | June 2016 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[222][223] | 25 | 14 | 125 | 68 | — | Yes |
| Liechtenstein | November 2016 | Registered partnership (expansion)[224][225] | — | 25 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Greece | December 2016 | Cohabitation agreement (expansion)[226][227] | — | 201 | 21 | Signed | Yes | |
| Austria | December 2016 | Registered partnership (expansion)[228] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Finland | February 2015 | Marriage(framework law)[229] | — | 101 | 90 | Signed | Yes | |
| April 2016 | Marriage(implementation laws)[230][231][232] | — | 106 | 42 | Signed | |||
| January 2017 | — | 128 | 28 | Signed | ||||
| Malta | April 2017 | Cohabitation[233] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Lithuania | June 2017 | Partnership[234][235] | — | 29 | 59 | — | No | |
| Ireland | July 2017 | Civil partnership and unregistered cohabitation (expansion: adoption rights)[236][237] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Germany | July 2017 | Marriage[238][239][240] | Passed | 393 | 226 | Signed | Yes | |
| Malta | August 2017 | Marriage[241][242] | — | 66 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
 China | October 2017 | Legal Guardianship[243] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Philippines | October 2017 | Civil partnership[244] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Chile | November 2017 | Civil union agreement (expansion)[245][246][247][248] | 15 | 0 | 70 | 0 | Signed | Yes |
| Australia | December 2017 | Marriage[249][250] | 43 | 12 | 131 | 4 | Signed | Yes |
| Finland | April 2018 | Marriage (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[251] | — | 122 | 42 | Signed | Yes | |
| Greece | May 2018 | Cohabitation agreement (expansion: foster care)[252][253] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Israel | June 2018 | Marriage[254] | — | 39 | 42 | — | No | |
| Malta | June 2018 | Marriage, civil union and cohabitation (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[255][256] | — | 34 | 27 | Signed | Yes | |
| Slovakia | September 2018 | Registered partnership[257][258] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| San Marino | November 2018 | Civil union[259][260] | — | 40 | 4 | Signed | Yes | |
 Mexico | November 2018 | Marriage (codification of federal recognition)[261][262][263][264][265] | 110 | 0 | 415 | 0 | Published | Yes |
 Cuba | December 2018 | Marriage[266][267] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Germany | December 2018 | Marriage (codification)[268][269] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Romania | March 2019 | Civil partnership[270][271][272] | 2 | 68 | Failed | — | No | |
 Taiwan | May 2019 | Permanent union[273][274] | — | 66 | 27 | Signed | Yes | |
| Philippines | July 2019 | Civil partnership[275][276] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Philippines | July 2019 | Registered partnership[277] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
| Austria | July 2019 | Marriage (expansion)[278][279] | Passed | Passed | — | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) | July 2019 | Marriage[280][281] | Passed | 328 | 65 | Signed | Yes | |
 Montenegro | July 2019 | Life partnership[282] | — | 38 | 4 | — | No | |
 Monaco | December 2019 | Cohabitation agreement[283] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | July 2020 | Life partnership[284] | — | 42 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
| Lithuania | May 2021 | Partnership[285] | — | 63 | 58 | — | No | |
| San Marino | June 2021 | Civil union (expansion)[286] | — | 31 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| France | August 2021 | Marriage (expansion: medically assisted reproduction)[287][288][289] | 326 | 115 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
| Switzerland | September 2021 | Marriage[290][291][292] | 22 | 15 | 132 | 52 | — | Yes |
| Specific referendum (64.10%) | ||||||||
| Chile | December 2021 | Marriage[293][294][295][296][297] | 21 | 8 | 80 | 20 | Signed | Yes |
 Costa Rica | May 2022 | De facto union[298] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Andorra | August 2022 | Marriage[299][300] | — | 18 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
| Cuba | July 2022 | Marriage and civil union[301] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| September 2022 | Specific Referendum (66.87%)[302] | |||||||
| Slovenia | October 2022 | Marriage and adoption rights (codification)[303][304] | 17 | 11 | 48 | 29 | Suspensory Veto | Yes |
| — | 51 | 24 | Published | |||||
| Slovakia | October 2022 | Civil cohabitation[305] | — | 31 | 53 | — | No | |
 United States | December 2022 | Marriage (codification of federal recognition; requiring states and territories to recognize)[306] | 61 | 36 | 259 | 168 | Signed | Yes |
 Latvia | December 2022 | Civil union[307] | — | — | Failed | No | ||
 Peru | December 2022 | Marriage[308] | — | — | Failed | No | ||
| Andorra | January 2023 | Marriage (codification)[309] | — | 23 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Taiwan | June 2023 | Permanent union (expansion: adoption rights)[310] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Estonia | June 2023 | Marriage[311][312] | — | 55 | 34 | Signed | Yes | |
| Latvia | January 2024 | Partnership[313][314] | — | 53 | 43 | Signed | Yes | |
| Greece | February 2024 | Marriage[315][316] | — | 175 | 77 | Signed | Yes | |
| Czech Republic | April 2024 | Partnership (expansion)[317][318][319] | Passed | 123 | 36 | Signed | Yes | |
| Liechtenstein | May 2024 | Marriage[320][321] | — | 24 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
 Thailand | June 2024 | Marriage | 130 | 4 | 400 | 10 | Signed | Yes |
 Kosovo | Unknown | Civil union[322] | — | Proposed | ||||
| Peru | Unknown | Civil union[323] | — | — | Pending | |||
| Poland | Unknown | Civil partnership[324] | Proposed | Proposed | ||||
Notes:
In countries with afederal system of governance,states andterritories often may grant recognition to same-sex couples in their own jurisdictions, althoughunitary states with a level of devolution, such asSpain or theUnited Kingdom, also offer such powers to local authorities. The first jurisdiction to enact unregistered cohabitation wasBritish Columbia inCanada in July 1992. The first jurisdiction to legalize registered partnership wasGreenland as part of theKingdom of Denmark in April 1996. Finally, the first sub-national jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage was theCanadian province ofOntario in June 2003.
As of 23 May 2025, there are 32 sub-national jurisdictions worldwide that have legalized some kind of alternative form of legal union of same-sex couples other than marriage. Those are:
For the time being, 63 sub-national jurisdictions worldwide have legalized same-sex marriage in nations where same-sex marriage is not legal throughout the nation's territory. Those are:
| State/Territory | Country | Date | Same-sex union | Upper House | Lower house | Head of State | Law enacted? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | ||||||
 British Columbia | Canada | July 1992 | Marriage-like relationship[325][326] | — | 30 | 17 | Signed | Yes | |
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1993 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[327] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1993 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[328] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1993 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[329] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Australian Capital Territory | Australia | May 1994 | Domestic relationship[330] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Ontario | Canada | June 1994 | Domestic partnership[331] | — | 58 | 69 | — | No | |
| British Columbia | Canada | June 1995 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[332] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1995 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[333] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Greenland | Denmark | May 1993 | Inatsisartut: Registered partnership(resolution)[334] | — | 15 | 0 | — | Yes | |
| April 1996 | Folketing: Registered partnership(statutory law)[335][336] | — | 104 | 1 | Signed | ||||
 Ceuta | Spain | April 1997 | De facto union[337] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1997 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[338] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Catalonia | Spain | June 1998 | Stable couple union[339][340] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Yukon | Canada | December 1998 | Unregistered cohabitation[341] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Aragon | Spain | March 1999 | Stable non-married couple[339][342] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Yukon | Canada | April 1999 | Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[343][344] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Alberta | Canada | May 1999 | Unregistered cohabitation[345] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Quebec | Canada | May 1999 | De facto union[346] | — | 80 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 New South Wales | Australia | June 1999 | De facto relationship[347] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 1999 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[348] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Ontario | Canada | October 1999 | Conjugal relationship[349] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Navarre | Spain | July 2000 | Stable couple[339][350] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Castile-La Mancha | Spain | July 2000 | De facto couple[351] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | July 2000 | Marriage-like relationship (expansion)[352] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | August 2000 | Domestic relationship (expansion)[353] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Nova Scotia | Canada | November 2000 | Domestic partnership[354][355] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | December 2000 | Conjugal relationship[356] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 New Brunswick | Canada | December 2000 | Family relationship[357] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Geneva | Switzerland | February 2001 | Registered partnership[358][359] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Valencia | Spain | April 2001 | De facto union[360] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Victoria | Australia | June 2001 | Domestic relationship[361] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Manitoba | Canada | July 2001 | Common-law relationships[362] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Saskatchewan | Canada | July 2001 | Spousal relationship[363] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Saskatchewan | Canada | July 2001 | Spousal relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[364] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Victoria | Australia | November 2001 | Domestic relationship (expansion)[365] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | December 2001 | Conjugal relationship (expansion)[366] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Balearic Islands | Spain | December 2001 | Stable couple[367] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Madrid | Spain | December 2001 | De facto union[339][368] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | April 2002 | Conjugal relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[369] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Western Australia | Australia | April 2002 | De facto relationship[370] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Yukon | Canada | May 2002 | Unregistered cohabitation (expansion: adoption rights)[371] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Asturias | Spain | May 2002 | Stable couple[372] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Northwest Territories | Canada | June 2002 | Unregistered cohabitation[343][373] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Quebec | Canada | June 2002 | Civil union[374] | — | 87 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Manitoba | Canada | August 2002 | Common-law relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[375] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Manitoba | Canada | August 2002 | Common-law relationship (expansion)[376] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Zürich | Switzerland | September 2002 | Registered partnership[377] | Specific cantonal referendum (62.70%) | Yes | ||||
| New South Wales | Australia | October 2002 | De facto relationship (expansion)[378][379] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Castile and León | Spain | October 2002 | De facto union[380] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Alberta | Canada | December 2002 | Adult interdependent relationship[381] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Queensland | Australia | December 2002 | De facto relationship[382] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Andalusia | Spain | December 2002 | De facto couple[339][383] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Prince Edward Island | Canada | December 2002 | Unregistered cohabitation[384] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Autonomous City of Buenos Aires | Argentina | January 2003 | Civil union[385][386] | — | 29 | 10 | Signed | Yes | |
 Canary Islands | Spain | March 2003 | De facto couple[339][387] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Extremadura | Spain | March 2003 | De facto couple[339][388] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Basque Country | Spain | May 2003 | De facto couple[339][389] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Río Negro | Argentina | May 2003 | Civil union[390] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 South Australia | Australia | June 2003 | Unregistered cohabitation[391] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Tasmania | Australia | September 2003 | Significant relationship and caring relationship[392] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | January 2004 | Domestic relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[393] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Neuchâtel | Switzerland | January 2004 | Registered partnership[394] | — | 65 | 38 | Signed | Yes | |
 Northern Territory | Australia | January 2004 | De facto relationship[395][396] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Aragon | Spain | May 2004 | Stable non-married couple (expansion: adoption rights)[397] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Fribourg | Switzerland | May 2004 | Registered partnership[394][398] | General cantonal referendum (58.03%) | Yes | ||||
 City of Sydney | Australia | July 2004 | Relationship declaration program[399] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Quebec | Canada | November 2004 | Marriage (codification)[400] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Ontario | Canada | March 2005 | Marriage (codification)[401] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Northwest Territories | Canada | March 2005 | Unregistered cohabitation (expansion)[402] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Catalonia | Spain | April 2005 | Stable couple union (expansion: adoption rights)[403][404] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Cantabria | Spain | May 2005 | De facto couple[405] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | United Kingdom | November 2005 | Civil partnership[406] | — | Signed | Yes | |||
 Isle of Man | United Kingdom | November 2005 | Recognition of civil partnership performed in the United Kingdom[407] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Norfolk Island | Australia | February 2006 | De facto relationship[408] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | June 2006 | Civil union[409] | — | Passed | Signed | No[b 1] | ||
 Mexico City | Mexico | November 2006 | Coexistence partnership[410] | — | 43 | 17 | Signed | Yes | |
| South Australia | Australia | December 2006 | Domestic partnership agreement[411] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Coahuila | Mexico | January 2007 | Civil pact of solidarity[412] | — | 20 | 13 | Signed | Yes | |
 Scotland | United Kingdom | January 2007 | Civil partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[413][414] | — | 101 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | February 2007 | Civil partnership[415] | — | Passed | Signed | No[b 1] | ||
| Alberta | Canada | February 2007 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[416] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New Brunswick | Canada | March 2007 | Marriage (expansion: adoption rights)[345] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| City of Melbourne | Australia | April 2007 | Relationship declaration program[417] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| City of Yarra | Australia | May 2007 | Relationship declaration program[418] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Villa Carlos Paz | Argentina | November 2007 | Civil union[419] | — | 12 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
| New South Wales | Australia | November 2007 | De facto relationship (expansion)[420] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Galicia | Spain | December 2007 | De facto couple[421] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Melilla | Spain | January 2008 | De facto couple[422] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Victoria | Australia | April 2008 | Registered domestic relationship[423] | 29 | 10 | 54 | 24 | Signed | Yes |
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | May 2008 | Civil partnership[424] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Prince Edward Island | Canada | May 2008 | Marriage (codification and expansion: adoption rights)[425] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New South Wales | Australia | June 2008 | De facto relationship (expansion)[426] | Passed | 64 | 11 | Signed | Yes | |
| Manitoba | Canada | October 2008 | Marriage (codification)[427] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Victoria | Australia | December 2008 | Registered domestic relationship (expansion)[428] | Passed | 47 | 34 | Signed | Yes | |
| Municipality of Woollahra | Australia | December 2008 | Relationship declaration program[429] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New Brunswick | Canada | December 2008 | Marriage (codification) and family relationship (expansion)[430] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Río Cuarto | Argentina | May 2009 | Civil union[431] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Greenland | Denmark | May 2009 | Registered partnership (expansion: adoption rights)[432] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 New Caledonia | France | May 2009 | Civil solidarity pact and concubinage[433][434] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Wallis and Futuna | France | May 2009 | Civil solidarity pact and concubinage[433][434] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | May 2009 | Marriage (codification)[435] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Scotland | United Kingdom | June 2009 | Civil partnership (expansion)[436] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Tasmania | Australia | September 2009 | Significant relationship (expansion)[437] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | November 2009 | Civil partnership (expansion)[438] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Canada | December 2009 | Marriage (codification)[439] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Mexico City | Mexico | December 2009 | Marriage[440] | — | 39 | 20 | Signed | Yes | |
| Queensland | Australia | February 2010 | De facto relationship (expansion)[441] | — | 45 | 36 | Signed | Yes | |
| City of Blue Mountains | Australia | March 2010 | Relationship declaration program[442] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New South Wales | Australia | May 2010 | Registered relationship[443][444] | 32 | 5 | 62 | 9 | Signed | Yes |
 La Rioja | Spain | May 2010 | De facto couple[445] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Vienna | Austria | June 2010 | Registered partnership (expansion)[446][447] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Catalonia | Spain | July 2010 | Marriage (codification)[448] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| New South Wales | Australia | September 2010 | Registered relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[449][450][451] | 22 | 15 | 45 | 43 | Signed | Yes |
| Tasmania | Australia | October 2010 | Out-of-state unions as significant relationship[452][453] | Passed | 22 | 3 | Signed | Yes | |
| New South Wales | Australia | November 2010 | Registered relationship (expansion: surrogacy)[454] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | Netherlands | December 2010 | Recognition of unions performed aboard[455] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Isle of Man | United Kingdom | March 2011 | Civil partnership[456] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| South Australia | Australia | June 2011 | Domestic partnership agreement (expansion)[457] | 14 | 5 | 24 | 15 | Signed | Yes |
| South Australia | Australia | July 2011 | Domestic partnership agreement (expansion)[458] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Nunavut | Canada | October 2011 | Marriage (codification and expansion: adoption rights)[459] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| British Columbia | Canada | November 2011 | Marriage (codification)[460] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Queensland | Australia | December 2011 | Civil partnership[461][462] | — | 47 | 40 | Signed | Yes[b 2] | |
 Guernsey | United Kingdom | December 2011 | Recognition of civil partnership performed in the United Kingdom[463] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Jersey | United Kingdom | December 2011 | Civil partnership[464][465] | — | 33 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Queensland | Australia | June 2012 | Registered relationship[466][467] | — | 69 | 8 | Signed | Yes[b 3] | |
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | September 2012 | Civil union[468][469] | — | 11 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
| Tasmania | Australia | September 2012 | Marriage[470][471] | 6 | 8 | 13 | 11 | — | No |
| Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | Netherlands | October 2012 | Marriage[472] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Tasmania | Australia | October 2012 | Significant relationship (expansion)[473][474] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| City of Vincent | Australia | December 2012 | Relationship declaration program[475] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Macau | China | March 2013 | Civil union[476] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| South Australia | Australia | July 2013 | Marriage[477] | — | — | Failed | — | No | |
| Tasmania | Australia | July 2013 | Significant relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[478][479] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Colima | Mexico | July 2013 | Civil union[480][481][482] | — | 17 | 2 | — | Yes[b 4] | |
| August 2013 | — | Passed | Signed | ||||||
| Tasmania | Australia | October 2013 | Marriage[483] | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | No |
| Australian Capital Territory | Australia | October 2013 | Marriage[484] | — | 9 | 8 | Signed | No[b 5] | |
 Jalisco | Mexico | October 2013 | Civil union[485] | — | 20 | 15 | Signed | Yes | |
| New South Wales | Australia | November 2013 | Marriage[486] | 19 | 21 | — | — | — | No |
 Campeche | Mexico | December 2013 | Civil union[487] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Coahuila | Mexico | February 2014 | Civil pact of solidarity (expansion: adoption rights)[488] | — | 23 | 2 | Signed | Yes | |
| Scotland | United Kingdom | March 2014 | Marriage[489][490] | — | 105 | 18 | Signed | Yes | |
 Faroe Islands | Denmark | March 2014 | Marriage[491] | — | 11 | 20 | — | No | |
 Gibraltar | United Kingdom | March 2014 | Civil partnership[492][493] | — | 16 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Durango | Mexico | April 2014 | Marriage[494] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | United Kingdom | April 2014 | Marriage[495] | — | Signed | Yes | |||
 British Indian Ocean Territory | United Kingdom | April 2014 | Marriage[495] | — | Signed | Yes | |||
| Alberta | Canada | May 2014 | Marriage (codification)[496] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Coahuila | Mexico | September 2014 | Marriage[497][498][499] | — | 19 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| New South Wales | Australia | November 2014 | Out-of-state unions as registered relationship[500] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Yukon | Canada | December 2014 | Marriage (codification)[501] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Pitcairn Islands | United Kingdom | May 2015 | Marriage[502] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Town of Port Hedland | Australia | August 2015 | Relationship declaration program[503][504][505] | — | 6 | 2 | Signed | Yes | |
 Michoacán | Mexico | September 2015 | Domestic partnership[506][507] | — | 34 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Alderney | United Kingdom | November 2015 | Recognition of marriage and civil partnership performed abroad[508][509][510] | — | 10 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Guernsey | United Kingdom | December 2015 | Recognition of marriage performed abroad[511][512][513] | — | Passed | —[b 6] | Yes | ||
| Victoria | Australia | December 2015 | Registered domestic relationship and domestic relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[514][515] | 31 | 8 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
| Queensland | Australia | December 2015 | Civil partnership[516][517] | — | 64 | 22 | Signed | Yes | |
 Nayarit | Mexico | December 2015 | Marriage and concubinage[518] | — | 26 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Greenland | Denmark | May 2015 | Inatsisartut: Marriage(resolution)[519][520] | — | 27 | 0 | — | Yes | |
| February 2016 | Folketing: Marriage(statutory law)[521] | — | 108 | 0 | Signed | ||||
| Victoria | Australia | February 2016 | Out-of-state union as registered domestic relationship[522][523] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Azuay | Ecuador | March 2016 | Registered symbolic marriage[524] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Campeche | Mexico | May 2016 | Marriage[525][526][527][528] | — | 34 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Guernsey | United Kingdom | May 2016 | Recognition of marriage and civil partnership performed abroad (expansion)[529][530][531] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Colima | Mexico | June 2016 | Marriage[532][533] | — | 24 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Michoacán | Mexico | June 2016 | Marriage and concubinage[534][535] | — | 27 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Ascension Island | United Kingdom | June 2016 | Marriage[536][537] | — | 5 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| South Australia | Australia | July 2016 | Domestic partnership agreement (expansion)[538][539][540] | Passed | 29 | 12 | Signed | Yes | |
 Morelos | Mexico | July 2016 | Marriage and concubinage[541] | — | 20 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
| Isle of Man | United Kingdom | July 2016 | Marriage[542][543][544] | 6 | 3 | 17 | 3 | Signed | Yes |
 Aruba | Netherlands | September 2016 | Registered partnership[545][546][547] | — | 11 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
 British Antarctic Territory | United Kingdom | October 2016 | Marriage[548][549] | — | Signed | Yes | |||
| Gibraltar | United Kingdom | November 2016 | Marriage[550][551] | — | 15 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Queensland | Australia | November 2016 | Civil partnership and de facto relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[552][553] | — | 44 | 43 | Signed | Yes | |
 San Luis Potosí | Mexico | November 2016 | Marriage[554][555] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Ontario | Canada | December 2016 | Marriage and conjugal relationship (expansion: automatic co-parenthood)[556][557] | — | 79 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Victoria | Australia | December 2016 | Marriage (expansion: ending forced divorce for transgender individuals)[558][b 7] | 19 | 19 | 45 | 35 | — | No |
| South Australia | Australia | December 2016 | Registered relationship[559] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| South Australia | Australia | December 2016 | Registered relationship and domestic partnership agreement (expansion: adoption rights)[560][561][562] | 13 | 4 | 27 | 16 | Signed | Yes |
| South Australia | Australia | December 2016 | Marriage (expansion: ending forced divorce for transgender individuals)[563][b 8] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Tlaxcala | Mexico | January 2017 | Domestic partnership[564][565][566] | — | 18 | 4 | Signed | Yes | |
| Durango | Mexico | January 2017 | Marriage[567] | — | 4 | 15 | — | No | |
| Mexico City | Mexico | January 2017 | Marriage (constitutional codification)[568] | — | Passed | — | Yes | ||
| Northwest Territories | Canada | March 2017 | Marriage (codification)[569] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| South Australia | Australia | March 2017 | Registered relationship and domestic partnership agreement (expansion: surrogacy)[570] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| South Australia | Australia | April 2017 | Registered relationship (expansion)[571] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Falkland Islands | United Kingdom | April 2017 | Marriage and civil partnership[572][573] | — | 7 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Guernsey | United Kingdom | December 2015 | Marriage(agreement in principle)[574][575] | — | 37 | 7 | — | Yes | |
| December 2016 | Marriage(primary legislation)[576][577] | — | 33 | 5 | Signed | ||||
| April 2017 | Marriage(secondary legislation)[578] | — | Passed | — | |||||
| Faroe Islands | Denmark | April 2016 | Løgting: Marriage(resolution)[579][580][581] | — | 19 | 14 | — | Yes | |
| May 2017 | Folketing: Marriage(statutory law)[582][583] | — | 108 | 0 | Signed | ||||
 Tristan da Cunha | United Kingdom | August 2017 | Marriage[584][585] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Nova Scotia | Canada | October 2017 | Marriage (codification)[586][587] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Saint Helena | United Kingdom | December 2017 | Marriage[588][589] | — | 9 | 2 | Signed | Yes | |
 Bermuda | United Kingdom | February 2018 | Domestic partnership[590][591] | 8 | 3 | 24 | 10 | Signed | Yes |
| Northern Territory | Australia | April 2018 | Marriage and de facto relationship (expansion: adoption rights)[592] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Jersey | United Kingdom | September 2015 | Marriage(agreement in principle)[593] | — | 37 | 4 | — | Yes | |
| May 2018 | Marriage(statutory legislation)[594] | — | 42 | 1 | Signed | ||||
| Victoria | Australia | May 2018 | Marriage (expansion: ending forced divorce for transgender individuals)[595][596] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Alderney | United Kingdom | December 2017 | Marriage(primary legislation)[597] | — | 9 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| June 2018 | Marriage(secondary legislation)[598] | — | Passed | — | |||||
| New South Wales | Australia | June 2018 | Marriage (codification and expansion)[599] | 34 | 2 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
| Queensland | Australia | June 2018 | Marriage (expansion: ending forced divorce for transgender individuals)[600][601] | — | 86 | 4 | Signed | Yes | |
 Murcia | Spain | July 2018 | De facto couple[602][603] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Northern Territory | Australia | December 2018 | Marriage (codification and expansion)[604] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Western Australia | Australia | February 2019 | Marriage (expansion: ending forced divorce for transgender individuals)[605] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Tasmania | Australia | May 2019 | Marriage (codification and expansion)[606] | 7 | 6 | 12 | 11 | Signed | Yes |
| San Luis Potosí | Mexico | May 2019 | Marriage and concubinage[607][608] | — | 14 | 12 | Signed | Yes | |
 Hidalgo | Mexico | May 2019 | Marriage and concubinage[609] | — | 18 | 2 | Signed | Yes | |
 Sinaloa | Mexico | June 2019 | Marriage and concubinage[610] | — | 18 | 20 | — | No | |
 Ibaraki Prefecture |  Japan | June 2019 | Partnership certificate[611] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Baja California Sur | Mexico | June 2019 | Marriage[612] | — | 14 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
 Zacatecas | Mexico | August 2019 | Marriage[613] | — | 11 | 13 | — | No | |
 Oaxaca | Mexico | October 2019 | Marriage (codification)[614] | — | 25 | 10 | Signed | Yes | |
 Sark | United Kingdom | October 2019 | Marriage(agreement in principle)[615] | — | Passed | — | Yes | ||
| March 2020 | Marriage(primary legislation)[616] | — | Passed | Signed | |||||
| April 2020 | Marriage(secondary legislation)[617] | — | Passed | — | |||||
 Cayman Islands | United Kingdom | July 2020 | Domestic partnership[618] | — | 8 | 9 | — | No | |
 Baja California | Mexico | July 2020 | Marriage (Constitutional codification)[619][620][621] | — | 16 | 9 | — | No | |
 Curaçao | Netherlands | September 2020 | Marriage[622] | — | Withdrawn[623] | No | |||
| Cayman Islands | United Kingdom | September 2020 | Civil partnership[624] | — | Signed | Yes | |||
 Puebla | Mexico | November 2020 | Marriage (codification)[625][626] | — | 31 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
 Gunma Prefecture | Japan | December 2020 | Partnership oath[627] | — | — | Signed | Yes | ||
| Tlaxcala | Mexico | December 2020 | Marriage[628] | — | 16 | 3 | Signed | Yes | |
| Western Australia | Australia | 2020 | Marriage and de facto relationship (expansion: surrogacy)[629] | -- | Passed | No | |||
| Sinaloa | Mexico | June 2021 | Marriage[630] | — | 23 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Baja California | Mexico | June 2021 | Marriage (Constitutional codification)[631] | — | 18 | 4 | Ratified by municipalities | Yes | |
 Yucatán | Mexico | August 2021 | Marriage (Constitutional codification)[632] | — | 20 | 5 | Published | Yes | |
 Saga Prefecture | Japan | August 2021 | Partnership certificate[633] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Mie Prefecture | Japan | September 2021 | Partnership certificate[634] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Querétaro | Mexico | September 2021 | Marriage, concubinage, adoption[635][636] | — | 20 | 3 | Published | Yes | |
 Sonora | Mexico | September 2021 | Marriage[637] | — | 25 | 8 | Signed | Yes | |
| Zacatecas | Mexico | December 2021 | Marriage[638] | — | 18 | 10 | Published | Yes | |
 Aomori Prefecture | Japan | February 2022 | Partnership certificate[639] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Yucatán | Mexico | March 2022 | Marriage[640] | — | 25 | 0 | Published | Yes | |
 Akita Prefecture | Japan | April 2022 | Partnership certificate[641] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Fukuoka Prefecture | Japan | April 2022 | Partnership certificate[642] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Jalisco | Mexico | April 2022 | Marriage (codification)[643] | — | 25 | 8 | Published | Yes | |
 Tamaulipas | Mexico | May 2022 | Marriage[644] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
 Veracruz | Mexico | June 2022 | Marriage (codification)[645][646][647] | — | 38 | 4 | Published | Yes | |
 Aguascalientes | Mexico | August 2022 | Marriage[648] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
 Quintana Roo | Mexico | August 2022 | Marriage expansion (adoption)[649] | Passed | Signed | Yes | |||
 Tochigi Prefecture | Japan | September 2022 | Partnership certificate[650] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Durango | Mexico | September 2022 | Marriage (codification)[651][646][652] | — | 15 | 9 | Signed | Yes | |
 Tabasco | Mexico | October 2022 | Marriage[653] | — | 23 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
 Tokyo Metropolis | Japan | November 2022 | Partnership certificate[654] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Edomex | Mexico | November 2022 | Marriage and concubinage[655][656] | — | 50 | 16 | Signed | Yes | |
| Tamaulipas | Mexico | November 2022 | Marriage[657][658] | — | 23 | 12 | Signed | Yes | |
 Guerrero | Mexico | December 2022 | Marriage and concubinage[659] | — | 38 | 6 | Signed | Yes | |
 Nuevo León | Mexico | June 2023 | Marriage (codification) and concubinage[660] | — | 23 | 10 | Signed | Yes | |
| Baja California Sur | Mexico | March 2024 | Marriage (expansion: adoption)[661] | — | Passed | Vetoed | Pending | ||
| Aruba | Netherlands | June 2024 | Marriage[662][663][664] | — | 10 | 10 | Failed | No | |
 Chiapas | Mexico | December 2024 | Marriage[665] | — | 30 | 4 | Signed | Yes | |
Note:
Various countries have passed (or tried to pass) legislation to prevent same-sex marriage or repeal the existing laws (in some cases including criminalization or fines). Sometimes approving explicit bans or defining marriage as solely the union between a man and a woman, excluding all others.
| Country | Date | Ban on | Upper house | Lower house | Head of state | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
 El Salvador | February 1858 | Marriage[666] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Colombia | May 1873 | Marriage[667] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 1] | ||
| Costa Rica | January 1888 | Marriage[668] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 2] | ||
 Jamaica | 1897 | Marriage[669] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Italy | March 1942 | Marriage[670] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Eswatini | 1952 | Adoption[671] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Fiji | January 1969 | Marriage[672] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (England and Walles) | July 1973 | Marriage[673] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 3] | ||
| Scotland | May 1977 | Marriage[674] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 4] | ||
 Bhutan | 1980 | Marriage[675] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Venezuela | July 1982 | Marriage[676] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Peru | July 1984 | Marriage[677] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Ecuador | July 1984 | Marriage[678][679] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 5] | ||
 Honduras | August 1984 | Marriage[680] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Paraguay | January 1985 | Marriage and free union[681] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Cuba | 1987 | Marriage[682] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 6] | ||
 Philippines | July 1987 | Marriage (explicit recognition of only heterosexual marriage)[683] | — | — | Signed | Yes | ||
 Angola | 1988 | Marriage and de facto union[684] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Cambodia | July 1989 | Marriage[685] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| China | 1992 | Adoption[686] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Panama | May 1994 | Marriage[687] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| United States | September 1996 | Marriage (federal recognition and allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states)[688] | 85 | 14 | 342 | 67 | Signed | Yes[e 7] |
| Philippines | 1998 | Marriage (explicit limitation of marriage to heterosexualcisgender couples)[689] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
| United States | July 1999 | Adoption (federal law, ban only for District of Columbia )[690] | — | 213 | 215 | No | ||
 Moldova | October 2000 | Marriage[691] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Kenya | July 2001 | Adoption (couples and single LGBT person)[692] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Fiji | 2002 | Marriage (explicit ban)[693] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Ukraine | January 2003 | Marriage[694] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Northern Ireland | October 2003 | Marriage[695] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 8] | ||
| Philippines | July 2004 | Marriage (explicit non-recognition of unions performed abroad)[696] | Failed | — | — | No | ||
| Philippines | 2004 | Marriage (explicit limitation of marriage to heterosexualcisgender couples)[689][697] | Failed | Failed | — | No | ||
| Australia | August 2004 | Marriage[698][699] | 38 | 6 | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 9] | |
| New Zealand | May 2005 | Marriage[700] | — | 47 | 73 | No | ||
| Canada | December 2006 | Marriage[701] | — | 123 | 175 | No | ||
| China | May 2007 | Adoption of Chinese children by LGBT couples and single people in foreign countries[686] | — | — | Signed | Yes | ||
| Greece | July 2008 | Civil Union[702] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[e 10] | ||
 Ethiopia | July 2009 | Marriage[703] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Philippines | December 2009 | Marriage (criminalization)[704] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
 East Timor | September 2011 | Marriage[705] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Lesotho | 2011 | Adoption[706] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Mali | December 2011 | Marriage and adoption[707] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Russia | September 2012 | Marriage[708] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Russia | June 2013 | Adoption of Russian children by LGBT couples and single people in foreign countries that recognise same-sex unions[709] | Passed | 400 | 4 | Signed | Yes | |
 Uganda | December 2013 | All types of same-sex unions and adoption (criminalization)[710] | — | Passed | Signed | No[e 11] | ||
 Nigeria | January 2014 | All types of same-sex unions and adoption(criminalization)[711] | 109 | 0 | Passed | Signed | Yes | |
 Vietnam | June 2014 | Marriage and cohabitation[712] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Malawi | April 2015 | Marriage (criminalization)[713][714] | — | 193 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Nicaragua | April 2015 | Marriage, free unions and adoption[715] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Panama | October 2015 | Marriage (recognition of foreign unions)[716] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Haiti | August 2017 | Marriage (criminalization)[717][718] | 14 | 1 | Failed | No | ||
| Estonia | August 2017 | Civil Union[719] | — | 19 | 47 | No | ||
 Bolivia | June 2018 | Marriage and free union[720] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Honduras | August 2018 | Adoption[721] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Nepal | August 2018 | Marriage[722] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Zimbabwe | May 2019 | Marriage[723] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Armenia | November 2019 | Marriage and adoption (explicit ban)[724] | — | Failed | No | |||
 Mozambique | December 2019 | Marriage and domestic unions[725] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| China | January 2021 | Marriage[726][727] | — | 2879 | 2 | Signed | Yes | |
| Panama | March 2021 | Adoption[728] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Guatemala | March 2022 | Marriage (criminalization)[729][730] | — | 152 | 8 | No[e 12] | ||
| Latvia | April 2023 | Adoption[731] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Uganda | June 2023 | All types of same-sex unions and adoption (criminalization)[732][733] | — | 384 | 1 | Signed | Yes | |
| Hungary | July 2023 | Adoption (report same-sex couples which raise children to the state authorities)[734] | — | Passed | Vetoed | No | ||
| Russia | July 2023 | Marriage, adoption and foster care for trans people.[735] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Kazakhstan | 2024 | Adoption[736] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Belarus | July 2024 | Marriage[737] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Georgia | September 2024 | Marriage and adoption[738] | — | 84 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
 Namibia | October 2024 | Marriage and recognition of foreign unions (not criminalization)[739] | Passed | Passed[740] | Signed | Yes | ||
 Vanuatu | November 2024 | Marriage, regardless of religious, civil or traditional type marriages[741] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Namibia | March 2025 | Marriage and recognition of foreign unions (criminalization and fines)[742] | Passed | Passed | Vetoed | No | ||
| Kenya | Unknown | Same sex unions (criminalization)[743] | — | Pending | ||||
 Ghana | Unknown | Marriage (criminalization)[744] | — | Passed | Pending | |||
Notes:
In countries with afederal system of governance,states andterritories often may forbid recognition to same-sex couples in their own jurisdictions.
| State/Territory | Country | Date | Same-sex union | Upper House | Lower house | Head of State | Law enacted? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | ||||||
 Goa | India | 1867/1961 | Marriage[745] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | India | 1867 | Marriage[746] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | India | July 1958 | Marriage[747] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Chuuk |  Federated States of Micronesia | 1966 | Marriage[748] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Assam | India | April 1989 | Marriage[749] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Pohnpei | Federated States of Micronesia | April 1989 | Statutory civil marriage, statutory religious marriage[750] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Kosrae | Federated States of Micronesia | 2000 | Marriage[751] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Andhra Pradesh |  India | May 2002 | Marriage[752] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Gujarat | India | March 2006 | Marriage[753] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Bihar | India | August 2006 | Marriage[754] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Chhattisgarh | India | November 2006 | Marriage[755] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Cook Islands | New Zealand | April 2007 | Marriage (explicit ban)[756] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Niue | New Zealand | 2007 | Marriage[757] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Tokelau | New Zealand | September 2007 | Marriage[758] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Arunachal Pradesh | India | January 2009 | Marriage[759] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Zanzibar |  Tanzania | 2011 | Adoption[760] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Republika Srpska |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | February 2023 | Marriage[761] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Macau | China | June 2024 | Marriage[762] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
Note: In India all States must record all marriages under federal laws but no federal law allows or recognizes same-sex unions of any kind. In addition, States may pass their own laws on same-sex unions if they wish.
Thirty-two countries have passedconstitutional amendments banning a variety of same-sex unions. These amendments have taken several forms. Some are limited to banning only marriage. Others ban marriage and prohibit legislation providing "similar rights".
Cuba was the first country to prohibit same-sex marriage in February 1976.[763]Paraguay,Honduras andBolivia are the only cases that not only marriage is prohibited but also de facto unions.[764]Vietnam,Cuba, andEcuador repealed their same-sex marriage bans in November 2013, April 2019, and June 2019, respectively.
As of 23 May 2025, thirty-three countries prohibit same-sex marriage on a national level. Those areArmenia,Belarus,Bolivia,Bulgaria,Burkina Faso,Burundi,Cambodia, theCentral African Republic,Croatia, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,Dominican Republic,Gabon,Georgia,Honduras,Hungary,Jamaica,Kenya,Kyrgyzstan,Latvia,Lithuania,Mali,Moldova,Mongolia,Montenegro,Palau,Paraguay,Poland,Russia,Rwanda,Serbia,Slovakia,South Sudan,Tuvalu,Uganda,Ukraine,Venezuela andZimbabwe.
| Country | Date | Ban on | Upper house | Lower house | Head of state | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |||||
| Cuba | February 1976 | Marriage[765] | General referendum (97.7%) | Yes[c 1] | ||||
 Burkina Faso | June 1991 | Marriage[766] | General referendum (92.83%) | Yes | ||||
 Bulgaria | July 1991 | Marriage[767] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Vietnam | April 1992 | Marriage[768] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[c 2] | ||
| Paraguay | June 1992 | Marriage and de facto union[771] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Lithuania | October 1992 | Marriage[772] | General referendum (78.24) | Yes | ||||
 Cambodia | September 1993 | Marriage[773][774] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Belarus | March 1994 | Marriage[775] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Moldova | July 1994 | Marriage[776] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | June 1996 | Marriage[777] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Poland | May 1997 | Marriage[778][779][780][781][782][783] | General referendum (52.71%) | Signed | Yes | |||
| Venezuela | December 1999 | Marriage and de facto union[784] | General referendum (71.78%) | Yes | ||||
 Rwanda | May 2003 | Marriage[785] | General referendum (93.42%) | Yes | ||||
| United States | July 2004 | Marriage[786] | 48 | 50 | 227 | 186 | — | No |
 Burundi | February 2005 | Marriage[787] | General referendum (92.02%) | Yes | ||||
| Honduras | March 2005 | Marriage and de facto union[788][789] | — | 128 | 0 | Signed | Yes | |
| Uganda | September 2005 | Marriage[790] | — | 111 | 17 | Signed | Yes | |
| Latvia | December 2005 | Marriage[791] | — | 65 | 5 | Signed | Yes | |
 DR Congo | December 2005 | Marriage[792][793] | General referendum (84.31%) | Yes | ||||
| United States | July 2006 | Marriage[794] | 49 | 48 | 236 | 187 | — | No[c 3] |
 Serbia | October 2006 | Marriage[795] | General referendum (53.04%) | Yes | ||||
| Montenegro | October 2007 | Marriage[796][797] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Ecuador | September 2008 | Marriage[798] | General referendum (69.46%) | Yes[c 4] | ||||
 Palau | November 2008 | Marriage[799][800] | Specific referendum (83.56%) | Yes | ||||
 Bolivia | January 2009 | Marriage and free union[801] | General referendum (61.43%) | Yes | ||||
| El Salvador | October 2009 | Marriage[802] | — | 46 | 38 | — | No[c 3] | |
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | November 2009 | Marriage[803][804] | General referendum (43.71%) | No | ||||
 Dominican Republic | January 2010 | Marriage[805] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Kenya | August 2010 | Marriage[806] | General referendum (68.55%) | Yes | ||||
 Zambia | March 2011 | Marriage[807][808] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Jamaica | April 2011 | Marriage and any other similar relationship[809] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| Hungary | April 2011 | Marriage[810][811][812] | — | 262 | 44 | Signed | Yes | |
 South Sudan | July 2011 | Marriage[813][814] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Liberia | June 2012 | Marriage[815] | Passed | Failed | — | No | ||
| Zimbabwe | March 2013 | Marriage[816] | General referendum (94.49%) | Yes | ||||
 North Macedonia | September 2013 | Marriage[817] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Croatia | December 2013 | Marriage[818] | Specific referendum (65.87%) | Yes | ||||
| El Salvador | February 2014 | Marriage[819] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Slovakia | June 2014 | Marriage[820] | — | 102 | 18 | — | Yes | |
| North Macedonia | January 2015 | Marriage[821][822] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Slovakia | February 2015 | Marriage[823] | Specific referendum (94.50%) | No[c 5] | ||||
| Armenia | December 2015 | Marriage[824][825] | General referendum (63.37%) | Yes | ||||
| Switzerland | February 2016 | Marriage[826] | Specific referendum (49.16%) | No[c 6] | ||||
 Central African Republic | March 2016 | Marriage[827][828] | General referendum (93.00%) | Signed | Yes | |||
 Kyrgyzstan | December 2016 | Marriage[829] | General referendum (79.59%) | Yes | ||||
| Georgia | October 2017 | Marriage[830][831][832] | — | 117 | 2 | Vetoed[c 7] | Yes | |
| Czech Republic | June 2018 | Marriage[833][834] | — | Failed | No | |||
| Romania | October 2018 | Marriage[835][836][837] | 107 | 13 | 232 | 22 | — | No[c 8] |
| Specific referendum (93.40%) | ||||||||
| Panama | October 2019 | Marriage[838] | — | Withdrawn | No | |||
| Russia | July 2020 | Marriage[839][840] | Passed | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
| General referendum (77.92%) | ||||||||
| Estonia | January 2021 | Marriage[841] | — | 29 | 49 | — | No | |
| Honduras | January 2021 | Marriage and de facto union (special majorities of the Assembly (3/4) to modify prohibition)[842] | — | 90 | 38 | Signed | Yes | |
| Belarus | February 2022 | Marriage (explicit ban)[843] | General referendum (65.2%) | Yes | ||||
| Mali | June 2023 | Marriage (explicit ban)[844] | General referendum (97%)[845] | Yes | ||||
 Tuvalu | November 2023 | Marriage[846] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes | ||
 Gabon | November 2024 | Marriage (perpetual ban)[c 9][847] | General referendum (91.6%) | Yes | ||||
Notes:
The first jurisdiction to explicitly ban same-sex marriage in itsConstitution was the U.S. state ofAlaska in November 1998, however, same-sex marriage waslegalised in the state in October 2014. The first jurisdiction to enact such a ban wasYucatán, in July 2009, but since August 2010 the state recognizes same-sex marriages performed in Mexico and in August 2021 local congress removed the heterosexual definition of marriage from the state's constitution.
| State/Territory | Country | Date | Ban on | Upper House | Lower house | Head of state | Final outcome | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | ||||||
| Morelos | Mexico | November 1930 | Marriage[848] | — | Passed | — | Yes[d 1] | ||
| Kosrae | Federated States of Micronesia | January 2005 | Marriage[850] | — | Failed | — | No | ||
| Yucatán | Mexico | July 2009 | Marriage[851] | — | Passed | — | Yes[d 2] | ||
| Baja California | Mexico | May 2011 | Marriage[852][853] | — | Passed | Signed | Yes[d 3] | ||
| Colima | Mexico | July 2013 | Marriage[480][481][856] | — | 17 | 2 | — | Yes[d 4] | |
| Zurich | Switzerland | November 2016 | Marriage[858][859] | — | 52 | 110 | — | No | |
| Specific referendum (19.09%) | |||||||||
| Veracruz | Mexico | July 2018 | Marriage[860] | — | 32 | 10 | — | No[d 5] | |
Some countries have explicit bans on same sex marriage but it is not in the constitution but rather laid out in other laws.
| Country | Date | Info |
|---|---|---|
 Azerbaijan | Unknown | Article 2.3 of the Family Code reads: "Marriage is a voluntary union of a man and a woman registered in the relevant executive authority for the purpose family."[861] |
 Bahamas | Unknown | The Bahamas Marriage Act defines marriage as only being possible between a man and a woman.[862] |
 Iraq | Unknown | Article 3.1 of the Personal Status Law defines that "Marriage is a contract between a man and a woman who is lawfully permissible to him, the purpose of which is to establish a bond for a mutual life and procreate children. "[863] |
 Jordan | Unknown | Article 5 of the Personal Status Law states that marriage is a contract between a man and a woman who are legally permitted to form a family.[864] |
 Lebanon | Unknown | In Lebanon, only religious marriages are permitted. 15 separate family laws are in force in Lebanon and are administered by separate religious courts. The country does not recognize same-sex marriage or any other form of legal partnership for same-sex couples.[865] |
 Maldives | Unknown | Section 410 (a) (8) of Maldives penal code states: “A person commits an offense if two persons of the same sex enter into a marriage.”[866] |
| Nicaragua | Unknown | Article 72 of the constitution states that marriage is between a man and a woman.[867] |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Unknown | Same sex marriage is banned in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.[868] |
 Saudi Arabia | Unknown | Sharia law defines marriage as between a man and a woman, therefore banning same-sex marriage.[869] |
 Turkmenistan | Unknown | The Family Code of Turkmenistan defines marriage as a voluntary equal union of a man and a woman.[870] |
 Uzbekistan | Unknown | Chapter 14 of the Uzbek constitution declares marriage to be based on "traditional family values".[871] |
 Syria | 1948 | Same sex marriage has been banned in the country since 1948.[872] |
| Guatemala | 1963 | Article 78 of the Civil Code of Guatemala (1963) defines marriage as a social institution where a man and a woman are legally united.[873] |
 Afghanistan | 1971 | Article 25 in Afghanistans Law on Marriage (1971) states: “The marriage certificate is a document of man and woman which proves the contract of marriage.”[874] |
 Indonesia | 1974 | There is no legal recognition of same-sex unions in Indonesia. Article 1 of the Law No. 1 of the Year 1974 on Marriage states unequivocally that marriage is "a physical and spiritual bond between a man and a woman as husband and wife, having the purpose of establishing a happy and lasting family founded on the Belief in God Almighty".[1] Moreover, Article 2 states that a marriage is only lawful if it is in accordance with the laws of the religions of the respective parties. Meanwhile, Indonesians who have entered into same-sex marriage abroad are not allowed to register their marriage in Indonesia due to Article 1 of the Marriage Act.[2] Additionally, Article 34(1) of the Law No. 23 of the Year 2006 on Civil Administration obliges all marriages to be reported to the local authorities within 60 days after marriage, and the explanation of Article 34(1) states that "marriage" can only be performed by a man and a woman.[875] |
 Iran | 1979 | Definition of marriage used follows from the Islamic definition of a union between a man and women. The marriage is prohibited and same-sex sexual activity is punished as stated in the Penal code.[876] |
 Kuwait | 1984 | Article 1 of the Kuwaiti Personal Status Law (1984) defines marriage as a contract between a man and a woman who is legally available to him, for the purpose of cohabitation, matrimony and strengthening the power of the nation.[877] |
 Laos | 1990 | The Family Law defines marriage to be a union between a man and a woman. Laos has not introduced any specific legislation around marriage equality for same-sex couples.[878] |
 North Korea | 1990 | Marriage in North Korea is defined as between a man and a woman. Article 8 of the Family Law of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea states “Marriage may be done only between one man and one woman.”[879] |
| Peru | 1993 | Article 234 of the Civil Code establishes that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. The Civil Code establishes that "homosexuality" is grounds for divorce, separation and annulment of marriage. The Constitution (1993) establishes that cohabitation is the stable union of a man and a woman (Article 5).[880] |
 Yemen | 1993 | Same sex marriage has been banned since 1993.[881] |
| Panama | 1994 | Article 58 of the 1972 constitution defined marriage as a different-sex union. Article 34 of the Family Code (1994) establishes that people of the same sex cannot marry each other. In 2018, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that the American convetion on Human rights mandates the recognition of same-sex marriage, recommending that countries issue decrees until legislation was brought into place. In March 2023, after seven years of delay the court ruled that there is no positive right to same-sex marriage in Panama under the constitution, halting any potential change for the time being through the courts.[882] |
| Fiji | 2001 | The Fijian Marriage Act of 1968 was adjusted in 2002 to explicitly state that "marriage in this registry (or place) which is in law the voluntary union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others." Additionally, previous Fijian Prime Ministers have been opposed to same-sex marriage.[883] |
 Turkey | 2001 | The Civil Code of Turkey does not recognize same sex marriage.[884] |
 Tajikistan | 2008 | Same-sex marriage is banned in Tajikistan[885] |
| Ethiopia | 2009 | Ethiopia's federal law places a statutory ban on same-sex marriage.[886] |
| Kazakhstan | 2010 | The Marriage and Family Code defines marriage as a union with equal rights between a man and a woman. It also states "The factual cohabitation of a man and a woman, as well as persons of the same sex shall not be recognized as the marriage (matrimony)." Article 11(1) states marriage shall not be allowed between persons of the same sex.[887] |
| East Timor | 2011 | The Civil Code (Law No. 10/2011), states the following: Article 1467 (Notion of marriage): Marriage is the contract concluded between two people of different sex who want to start a family through a full communion of life, in accordance with the provisions of this Code. Article 1517 (Non-existent marriages): 1. It is legally non-existent: e) Marriage contracted by two people of the same sex.[888] |
| El Salvador | 2018 | Article 90 of the Family Code establishes that it is a cause for absolute nullity of marriage when the parties are of the same sex.[889] |
 Nauru | 2018 | There is no legal recognition of same-sex couples in Nauru. Section 49 of The Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act (2017) states that "Marriage in the Republic shall be the voluntary union of one man and one woman." Section 70 states that "A marriage solemnized in a foreign country shall not be recognized as a marriage in the Republic if the marriage is (a) between a male and another male; (b) between a female and another female."[890] |
| Vanuatu | 2024 | In 2024, the Vanuatu parliament passed an amendment to the Marriage Act, defining a marriage as being between a man and a woman, banning same-sex marriage.[891] |
Notes:
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Article 32: On reaching the age of consent women and men shall have the right to enter into marriage on a voluntary basis and start a family. A husband and wife shall be equal in family relationships.
Article 18: Marriage, being a union of a man and a woman, as well as the family, motherhood and parenthood, shall be placed under the protection and care of the Republic of Poland.
W dotychczasowym orzecznictwie Sądu Najwyższego, wypracowanym i ugruntowanym zarówno w okresie obowiązywania poprzedniego, jak i obecnego Kodeksu postępowania karnego, a także w doktrynie (por. wypowiedzi W. Woltera, A. Zolla, A. Wąska), pojęcie "wspólne pożycie" odnoszone jest wyłącznie do konkubinatu, a w szczególności do związku osób o różnej płci, odpowiadającego od strony faktycznej stosunkowi małżeństwa (którym w myśl art. 18 Konstytucji jest wyłącznie związek osób różnej płci). Tego rodzaju interpretację Sąd Najwyższy, orzekający w niniejszej sprawie, w pełni podziela i nie znajduje podstaw do uznania za przekonywujące tych wypowiedzi pojawiających się w piśmiennictwie, w których podejmowane są próby kwestionowania takiej interpretacji omawianego pojęcia i sprowadzania go wyłącznie do konkubinatu (M. Płachta, K. Łojewski, A.M. Liberkowski). Rozumiejąc bowiem dążenia do rozszerzającej interpretacji pojęcia "wspólne pożycie", użytego w art. 115 § 11 k.k., należy jednak wskazać na całkowity brak w tym względzie dostatecznie precyzyjnych kryteriów.
Polska Konstytucja określa bowiem małżeństwo jako związek wyłącznie kobiety i mężczyzny.A contrario nie dopuszcza więc związków jednopłciowych. [...] Małżeństwo (jako związek kobiety i mężczyzny) uzyskało w prawie krajowym RP odrębny status konstytucyjny zdeterminowany postanowieniami art. 18 Konstytucji. Zmiana tego statusu byłaby możliwa jedynie przy zachowaniu rygorów trybu zmiany Konstytucji, określonych w art. 235 tego aktu.
W doktrynie prawa konstytucyjnego wskazuje się nadto, że jedyny element normatywny, dający się odkodować z art. 18 Konstytucji, to ustalenie zasady heteroseksualności małżeństwa.
Ustawa o świadczeniach zdrowotnych finansowanych ze środków publicznych nie wyjaśnia, co prawda, kto jest małżonkiem. Pojęcie to zostało jednak dostatecznie i jasno określone we wspomnianym art. 18 Konstytucji RP, w którym jest mowa o małżeństwie jako o związku kobiety i mężczyzny. W piśmiennictwie podkreśla się, że art. 18 Konstytucji ustala zasadę heteroseksualności małżeństwa, będącą nie tyle zasadą ustroju, co normą prawną, która zakazuje ustawodawcy zwykłemu nadawania charakteru małżeństwa związkom pomiędzy osobami jednej płci (vide: L. Garlicki Komentarz do art. 18 Konstytucji, s. 2-3 [w:] Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej. Komentarz, Wydawnictwo Sejmowe, Warszawa 2003). Jest wobec tego oczywiste, że małżeństwem w świetle Konstytucji i co za tym idzie - w świetle polskiego prawa, może być i jest wyłącznie związek heteroseksualny, a więc w związku małżeńskim małżonkami nie mogą być osoby tej samej płci.
art. 18 Konstytucji RP, który definiuje małżeństwo jako związek kobiety i mężczyzny, a tym samym wynika z niego zasada nakazująca jako małżeństwo traktować w Polsce jedynie związek heteroseksualny.
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