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Same-sex adoption

It's legal for same-sex couples to adopt children in 35 countries, but 0 require marriage first.

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

Recent Changes

Same-sex adoption

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

Summary

35
Legal
35 regions (18%)
Legal
111
Somewhere in between
111 regions (56%)
Somewhere in between
44
Illegal
44 regions (22%)
Illegal
8
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
8 regions (4%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
42%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
21 regions (42%)
Somewhere in between
22 regions (44%)
Illegal
6 regions (12%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (2%)
Oceania
14%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (14%)
Somewhere in between
10 regions (71%)
Illegal
2 regions (14%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
regions (0%)
South America
42%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
5 regions (42%)
Somewhere in between
6 regions (50%)
Illegal
1 regions (8%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
regions (0%)
North America
17%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
4 regions (17%)
Somewhere in between
16 regions (70%)
Illegal
2 regions (9%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (4%)
Africa
2%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (2%)
Somewhere in between
38 regions (70%)
Illegal
14 regions (26%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (2%)
Asia
5%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (5%)
Somewhere in between
19 regions (43%)
Illegal
19 regions (43%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
4 regions (9%)

Progress Over Time

Number of countries with equality for same-sex adoption over the past 60 years.
There are no recent changes about Same-sex adoption.

Same-sex adoption by Country

Legal

Same-sex adoption is legal in 35 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Israel 2008
  3. Taiwan 2023
  4. Europe (21)
  5. Andorra 2014
  6. Austria 2015
  7. Belgium 2006
  8. Croatia 2022
  9. Denmark 2009
  10. Finland 2017
  11. France 2013
  12. Germany 2017
  13. Iceland 2006
  14. Ireland 2015
  15. Liechtenstein 2023
  16. Luxembourg 2015
  17. Malta 2014
  18. Netherlands 2000
  19. Norway 2009
  20. Portugal 2016
  21. Slovenia 2022
  22. Spain 2005
  23. Sweden 2002
  24. Switzerland 2021
  25. United Kingdom 2002
  26. North America (4)
  27. Canada 1995
  28. Costa Rica 2020
  29. Cuba 2022
  30. United States 2017
  31. Africa (1)
  32. South Africa 2010
  33. Oceania (2)
  34. Australia 2018
  35. New Zealand 2013
  36. South America (5)
  37. Argentina 2010
  38. Brazil 2015
  39. Chile 2022
  40. Colombia 2015
  41. Uruguay 2009

Single only

Same-sex adoption is single only in 108 regions.

  1. Asia (19)
  2. Bhutan
  3. China 2018
  4. India
  5. Indonesia
  6. Jordan
  7. Kazakhstan 1991
  8. Kuwait
  9. Kyrgyzstan 2005
  10. Lebanon
  11. Malaysia 1826
  12. Maldives
  13. Mongolia 2017
  14. Myanmar 2016
  15. Nepal 2017
  16. Palestine
  17. Philippines
  18. Singapore
  19. Timor-Leste
  20. Vietnam 2000
  21. Europe (19)
  22. Albania 2017
  23. Armenia
  24. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  25. Bulgaria
  26. Czech Republic 2014
  27. Georgia
  28. Hungary 2020
  29. Kosovo
  30. Latvia
  31. Lithuania
  32. Moldova 2012
  33. Montenegro
  34. North Macedonia
  35. Poland 1964
  36. Romania 2023
  37. Russia 2023
  38. Slovakia 2017
  39. Turkey
  40. Ukraine 2016
  41. North America (16)
  42. Antigua and Barbuda
  43. Bahamas 2017
  44. Barbados
  45. Belize
  46. Dominica
  47. Dominican Republic
  48. Grenada
  49. Guatemala 2007
  50. Haiti
  51. Honduras 2017
  52. Jamaica 2017
  53. Nicaragua 2017
  54. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  55. Saint Lucia
  56. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  57. Trinidad and Tobago 1947
  58. Africa (38)
  59. Algeria 1966
  60. Angola
  61. Benin
  62. Botswana
  63. Burkina Faso
  64. Burundi
  65. Cape Verde
  66. Central African Republic 2017
  67. Chad
  68. Comoros
  69. Côte d’Ivoire
  70. Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017
  71. Equatorial Guinea
  72. Eritrea 2010
  73. Eswatini 1968
  74. Gabon
  75. Gambia
  76. Ghana
  77. Guinea
  78. Guinea-Bissau
  79. Liberia
  80. Madagascar
  81. Malawi
  82. Mali 2011
  83. Mauritius
  84. Nigeria
  85. Republic of the Congo
  86. Sao Tome and Principe
  87. Senegal 2017
  88. Seychelles
  89. Sierra Leone
  90. Somalia
  91. South Sudan
  92. Sudan
  93. Togo
  94. Tunisia 1957
  95. Uganda
  96. Zimbabwe
  97. Oceania (10)
  98. Federated States of Micronesia 2017
  99. Kiribati
  100. Marshall Islands
  101. Nauru
  102. Palau
  103. Papua New Guinea
  104. Samoa 2017
  105. Solomon Islands
  106. Tuvalu
  107. Vanuatu
  108. South America (6)
  109. Bolivia 2002
  110. Ecuador 2008
  111. Guyana 2017
  112. Peru
  113. Suriname
  114. Venezuela

Step-child adoption only

Same-sex adoption is step-child adoption only in 3 regions.

  1. Europe (3)
  2. Estonia 2017
  3. Italy 2016
  4. San Marino 2018

Illegal

Same-sex adoption is illegal in 44 regions.

  1. Asia (19)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Bahrain
  4. Bangladesh
  5. Brunei 1951
  6. Iran
  7. Iraq
  8. North Korea 2020
  9. Oman
  10. Pakistan
  11. Qatar 1915
  12. Saudi Arabia 1932
  13. South Korea
  14. Sri Lanka 2017
  15. Tajikistan
  16. Thailand
  17. Turkmenistan
  18. United Arab Emirates
  19. Uzbekistan
  20. Yemen
  21. Europe (6)
  22. Azerbaijan 1999
  23. Belarus
  24. Cyprus
  25. Monaco
  26. Serbia
  27. Vatican City
  28. North America (2)
  29. El Salvador
  30. Panama 2021
  31. Africa (14)
  32. Cameroon
  33. Djibouti 2017
  34. Egypt
  35. Ethiopia
  36. Kenya 2002
  37. Lesotho 1966
  38. Libya
  39. Mauritania 1983
  40. Morocco
  41. Mozambique 1886
  42. Niger
  43. Rwanda
  44. Tanzania
  45. Zambia
  46. Oceania (2)
  47. Fiji
  48. Tonga 2013
  49. South America (1)
  50. Paraguay 2020

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

Data on same-sex adoption is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 8 regions.

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Cambodia
  3. Japan
  4. Laos
  5. Syria
  6. Europe (1)
  7. Greece
  8. North America (1)
  9. Mexico
  10. Africa (1)
  11. Namibia
  12. Antarctica (1)
  13. Antarctica

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