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Same-sex adoption

It's legal for same-sex couples to adopt children in 48 countries, but 0 require marriage first.

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  • Legal
  • Married couples only
  • Single only
  • Step-child adoption only
  • Illegal
  • Unknown, N/A, or ambiguous

Recent Changes

Same-sex adoption

The ability for same-sex couples to legally adopt a child.

Summary

48
Legal
48 regions (21%)
Legal
126
Somewhere in between
126 regions (54%)
Somewhere in between
35
Illegal
35 regions (15%)
Illegal
23
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
23 regions (10%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
39%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
20 regions (39%)
Somewhere in between
20 regions (39%)
Illegal
8 regions (15%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
4 regions (8%)
Oceania
29%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (29%)
Somewhere in between
15 regions (63%)
Illegal
regions (0%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (8%)
South America
50%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (50%)
Somewhere in between
5 regions (36%)
Illegal
regions (0%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (14%)
North America
19%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (19%)
Somewhere in between
25 regions (69%)
Illegal
2 regions (6%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (6%)
Africa
10%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
6 regions (10%)
Somewhere in between
41 regions (70%)
Illegal
10 regions (17%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (3%)
Asia
2%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (2%)
Somewhere in between
20 regions (44%)
Illegal
15 regions (33%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (22%)

Progress over time

Number of countries with equality for same-sex adoption over the past 60 years.

Recent changes

Same-sex adoption by country

(and dependent territories)

Legal

Same-sex adoption is legal in 48 regions.

  1. Asia (1)
  2. Myanmar 2016
  3. Europe (20)
  4. Andorra 2014
  5. Austria 2015
  6. Belgium 2006
  7. Croatia 2021
  8. Denmark 2009
  9. Finland 2017
  10. France 2013
  11. Germany 2017
  12. Iceland 2006
  13. Ireland 2015
  14. Isle of Man 2011
  15. Luxembourg 2015
  16. Malta 2014
  17. Netherlands 2000
  18. Norway 2009
  19. Portugal 2015
  20. Spain 2005
  21. Sweden 2002
  22. Switzerland 2021
  23. United Kingdom 2002
  24. North America (7)
  25. Bermuda 2015
  26. Canada 1995
  27. Costa Rica 2020
  28. Greenland 2015
  29. Guadeloupe
  30. Martinique
  31. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2013
  32. Africa (6)
  33. British Indian Ocean Territory
  34. Mauritius 2008
  35. Mayotte 2013
  36. Réunion 2013
  37. Saint Helena
  38. South Africa 2010
  39. Oceania (7)
  40. Christmas Island
  41. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  42. French Polynesia 2013
  43. New Caledonia 2013
  44. New Zealand 2013
  45. Norfolk Island
  46. Wallis and Futuna
  47. South America (7)
  48. Argentina 2010
  49. Brazil 2000
  50. Chile 2021
  51. Colombia 2015
  52. Falkland Islands 2017
  53. French Guiana
  54. Uruguay 2009

Single only

Same-sex adoption is single only in 122 regions.

  1. Asia (19)
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Bhutan
  4. Indonesia
  5. Iraq
  6. Kuwait
  7. Kyrgyzstan 2005
  8. Macau 2017
  9. Malaysia 1826
  10. Maldives
  11. Mongolia 2017
  12. Nepal 2017
  13. Palestine
  14. Philippines
  15. Syria
  16. Tajikistan
  17. Timor-Leste
  18. Turkmenistan
  19. Uzbekistan
  20. Vietnam 2000
  21. Europe (18)
  22. Albania 2017
  23. Armenia
  24. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  25. Bulgaria 2017
  26. Faroe Islands
  27. Greece 1996
  28. Kosovo
  29. Latvia
  30. Liechtenstein 2011
  31. Lithuania
  32. Moldova 2012
  33. Montenegro
  34. North Macedonia
  35. Russia 1995
  36. San Marino
  37. Slovakia 2017
  38. Turkey
  39. Vatican City
  40. North America (25)
  41. Anguilla
  42. Antigua and Barbuda
  43. Aruba
  44. Bahamas 2017
  45. Barbados
  46. Belize
  47. British Virgin Islands
  48. Cayman Islands
  49. Cuba 2016
  50. Curaçao
  51. Dominica
  52. Dominican Republic
  53. Grenada
  54. Guatemala
  55. Haiti
  56. Honduras 2017
  57. Jamaica 2017
  58. Montserrat
  59. Nicaragua 2017
  60. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  61. Saint Lucia
  62. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  63. Sint Maarten
  64. Trinidad and Tobago 1947
  65. Turks and Caicos Islands
  66. Africa (40)
  67. Angola
  68. Benin
  69. Botswana
  70. Burkina Faso
  71. Burundi
  72. Cameroon
  73. Cape Verde
  74. Central African Republic 2017
  75. Chad
  76. Comoros
  77. Côte d’Ivoire
  78. Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017
  79. Djibouti 2017
  80. Egypt
  81. Equatorial Guinea
  82. Eritrea 2010
  83. Eswatini 1968
  84. Gabon
  85. Gambia
  86. Guinea
  87. Guinea-Bissau
  88. Liberia
  89. Libya 2017
  90. Madagascar
  91. Malawi
  92. Mali 2011
  93. Nigeria
  94. Republic of the Congo
  95. Sao Tome and Principe
  96. Senegal 2017
  97. Seychelles
  98. Sierra Leone
  99. Somalia
  100. South Sudan
  101. Sudan
  102. Togo
  103. Uganda
  104. Western Sahara
  105. Zambia
  106. Zimbabwe
  107. Oceania (15)
  108. Cook Islands
  109. Federated States of Micronesia 2017
  110. Kiribati
  111. Marshall Islands
  112. Nauru
  113. Niue
  114. Palau
  115. Papua New Guinea
  116. Pitcairn Islands 2001
  117. Samoa 2017
  118. Solomon Islands
  119. Tokelau 2013
  120. Tonga
  121. Tuvalu
  122. Vanuatu
  123. South America (5)
  124. Bolivia 2002
  125. Ecuador 2008
  126. Guyana 2017
  127. Suriname
  128. Venezuela

Step-child adoption only

Same-sex adoption is step-child adoption only in 4 regions.

  1. Asia (1)
  2. Taiwan
  3. Europe (2)
  4. Estonia 2017
  5. Slovenia 2011
  6. Africa (1)
  7. Ghana

Illegal

Same-sex adoption is illegal in 35 regions.

  1. Asia (15)
  2. Bahrain
  3. Brunei 1951
  4. China 1982
  5. India
  6. Iran
  7. Lebanon
  8. Oman
  9. Qatar 1915
  10. Saudi Arabia 1932
  11. Singapore
  12. South Korea 1948
  13. Sri Lanka 2017
  14. Thailand
  15. United Arab Emirates
  16. Yemen
  17. Europe (8)
  18. Azerbaijan 1999
  19. Belarus
  20. Cyprus
  21. Hungary 2020
  22. Italy 1967
  23. Monaco
  24. Poland
  25. Ukraine
  26. North America (2)
  27. El Salvador
  28. Panama 2021
  29. Africa (10)
  30. Ethiopia
  31. Kenya 2002
  32. Lesotho 1966
  33. Mauritania 1983
  34. Morocco
  35. Mozambique 1886
  36. Niger
  37. Rwanda
  38. Tanzania
  39. Tunisia 1957

No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous

Data on same-sex adoption is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 23 regions.

  1. Asia (10)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Cambodia
  4. Hong Kong
  5. Israel
  6. Japan
  7. Jordan
  8. Kazakhstan
  9. Laos
  10. North Korea
  11. Pakistan
  12. Europe (4)
  13. Czech Republic
  14. Georgia
  15. Romania
  16. Serbia
  17. North America (2)
  18. Mexico
  19. United States
  20. Africa (2)
  21. Algeria
  22. Namibia
  23. Oceania (2)
  24. Australia
  25. Fiji
  26. South America (2)
  27. Paraguay
  28. Peru
  29. Antarctica (1)
  30. Antarctica

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