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
Same-sex adoption
The ability for same-sex couples to legally adopt a child.
Summary
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.
- Europe (21)
- Andorra 2014
- Austria 2015
- Belgium 2006
- Croatia 2022
- Denmark 2009
- Finland 2017
- France 2013
- Germany 2017
- Iceland 2006
- Ireland 2015
- Liechtenstein 2023
- Luxembourg 2015
- Malta 2014
- Netherlands 2000
- Norway 2009
- Portugal 2016
- Slovenia 2022
- Spain 2005
- Sweden 2002
- Switzerland 2021
- United Kingdom 2002
- Africa (1)
- South Africa 2010
Single only
Same-sex adoption is single only in 108 regions.
- Asia (19)
- Bhutan
- China 2018
- India
- Indonesia
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan 1991
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan 2005
- Lebanon
- Malaysia 1826
- Maldives
- Mongolia 2017
- Myanmar 2016
- Nepal 2017
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Timor-Leste
- Vietnam 2000
- Europe (19)
- Albania 2017
- Armenia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic 2014
- Georgia
- Hungary 2020
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Moldova 2012
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Poland 1964
- Romania 2023
- Russia 2023
- Slovakia 2017
- Turkey
- Ukraine 2016
- North America (16)
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas 2017
- Barbados
- Belize
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guatemala 2007
- Haiti
- Honduras 2017
- Jamaica 2017
- Nicaragua 2017
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago 1947
- Africa (38)
- Algeria 1966
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Central African Republic 2017
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea 2010
- Eswatini 1968
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali 2011
- Mauritius
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal 2017
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Togo
- Tunisia 1957
- Uganda
- Zimbabwe
Step-child adoption only
Same-sex adoption is step-child adoption only in 3 regions.
Illegal
Same-sex adoption is illegal in 44 regions.
- Asia (19)
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Brunei 1951
- Iran
- Iraq
- North Korea 2020
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar 1915
- Saudi Arabia 1932
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka 2017
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
- Africa (14)
- Cameroon
- Djibouti 2017
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Kenya 2002
- Lesotho 1966
- Libya
- Mauritania 1983
- Morocco
- Mozambique 1886
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Zambia
- South America (1)
- Paraguay 2020
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