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Same-sex adoption

It's legal for same-sex couples to adopt children in 53 countries, but 1 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

  • Sep 26 2022Became Legal in Cuba
  • Jul 8 2022Became Legal in Slovenia
  • May 26 2022Became Legal in Croatia
  • Feb 22 2022Became Legal in Nayarit
  • Dec 9 2021Became Legal in Chile
  • Sep 26 2021Became Legal in Switzerland
  • Sep 15 2021Became Illegal in Kābul
  • Mar 1 2021Became Illegal in Panama

Same-sex adoption

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

Summary

52
Legal
52 regions (22%)
Legal
128
Somewhere in between
128 regions (55%)
Somewhere in between
40
Illegal
40 regions (17%)
Illegal
12
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
12 regions (5%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
40%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
21 regions (40%)
Somewhere in between
23 regions (44%)
Illegal
6 regions (12%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (4%)
Oceania
29%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (29%)
Somewhere in between
15 regions (63%)
Illegal
1 regions (4%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (4%)
South America
50%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (50%)
Somewhere in between
6 regions (43%)
Illegal
1 regions (7%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
regions (0%)
North America
25%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
9 regions (25%)
Somewhere in between
24 regions (67%)
Illegal
2 regions (6%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (3%)
Africa
9%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
5 regions (9%)
Somewhere in between
41 regions (70%)
Illegal
12 regions (20%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (2%)
Asia
7%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (7%)
Somewhere in between
19 regions (41%)
Illegal
18 regions (39%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
6 regions (13%)

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 52 regions.

  1. Asia (3)
  2. Israel 2008
  3. Kazakhstan
  4. Lebanon
  5. Europe (21)
  6. Andorra 2014
  7. Austria 2015
  8. Belgium 2006
  9. Croatia 2022
  10. Denmark 2009
  11. Finland 2017
  12. France 2013
  13. Germany 2017
  14. Iceland 2006
  15. Ireland 2015
  16. Isle of Man 2011
  17. Luxembourg 2015
  18. Malta 2014
  19. Netherlands 2000
  20. Norway 2009
  21. Portugal 2016
  22. Slovenia 2022
  23. Spain 2005
  24. Sweden 2002
  25. Switzerland 2021
  26. United Kingdom 2002
  27. North America (9)
  28. Bermuda 2015
  29. Canada 1995
  30. Costa Rica 2020
  31. Cuba 2022
  32. Greenland 2015
  33. Guadeloupe
  34. Martinique
  35. Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2013
  36. United States 2017
  37. Africa (5)
  38. British Indian Ocean Territory
  39. Mayotte 2013
  40. Réunion 2013
  41. Saint Helena
  42. South Africa 2010
  43. Oceania (7)
  44. Australia 2018
  45. Christmas Island
  46. Cocos
  47. French Polynesia 2013
  48. New Caledonia 2013
  49. Norfolk Island
  50. Wallis and Futuna
  51. South America (7)
  52. Argentina 2010
  53. Brazil 2000
  54. Chile 2021
  55. Colombia 2015
  56. Falkland Islands 2017
  57. French Guiana
  58. Uruguay 2009

Married couples only

Same-sex adoption is married couples only in 1 regions.

  1. Oceania (1)
  2. New Zealand 2013

Single only

Same-sex adoption is single only in 126 regions.

  1. Asia (19)
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Bhutan
  4. China 2018
  5. India
  6. Iraq
  7. Jordan
  8. Kuwait
  9. Kyrgyzstan 2005
  10. Macau 2017
  11. Malaysia 1826
  12. Maldives
  13. Mongolia 2017
  14. Myanmar 2016
  15. Nepal 2017
  16. Palestine
  17. Philippines
  18. Timor-Leste
  19. Turkmenistan
  20. Vietnam 2000
  21. Europe (22)
  22. Albania 2017
  23. Armenia
  24. Belarus 2016
  25. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  26. Bulgaria 2017
  27. Faroe Islands
  28. Georgia
  29. Greece 1996
  30. Kosovo
  31. Latvia
  32. Liechtenstein 2011
  33. Lithuania
  34. Moldova 2012
  35. Montenegro
  36. North Macedonia
  37. Poland 2016
  38. Romania
  39. Russia 1995
  40. San Marino
  41. Slovakia 2017
  42. Turkey
  43. Ukraine 2016
  44. North America (24)
  45. Anguilla
  46. Antigua and Barbuda
  47. Aruba
  48. Bahamas 2017
  49. Barbados
  50. Belize
  51. British Virgin Islands
  52. Cayman Islands
  53. Curaçao
  54. Dominica
  55. Dominican Republic
  56. Grenada
  57. Guatemala
  58. Haiti
  59. Honduras 2017
  60. Jamaica 2017
  61. Montserrat
  62. Nicaragua 2017
  63. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  64. Saint Lucia
  65. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  66. Sint Maarten
  67. Trinidad and Tobago 1947
  68. Turks and Caicos Islands
  69. Africa (41)
  70. Algeria 1966
  71. Angola
  72. Benin
  73. Botswana
  74. Burkina Faso
  75. Burundi
  76. Cameroon
  77. Cape Verde
  78. Central African Republic 2017
  79. Chad
  80. Comoros
  81. Côte d’Ivoire
  82. Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017
  83. Equatorial Guinea
  84. Eritrea 2010
  85. Eswatini 1968
  86. Gabon
  87. Gambia
  88. Ghana
  89. Guinea
  90. Guinea-Bissau
  91. Liberia
  92. Libya 2017
  93. Madagascar
  94. Malawi
  95. Mali 2011
  96. Mauritius
  97. Nigeria
  98. Republic of the Congo
  99. Sao Tome and Principe
  100. Senegal 2017
  101. Seychelles
  102. Sierra Leone
  103. Somalia
  104. South Sudan
  105. Sudan
  106. Togo
  107. Tunisia 1957
  108. Uganda
  109. Western Sahara
  110. Zimbabwe
  111. Oceania (14)
  112. Cook Islands
  113. Federated States of Micronesia 2017
  114. Kiribati
  115. Marshall Islands
  116. Nauru
  117. Niue
  118. Palau
  119. Papua New Guinea
  120. Pitcairn Islands 2001
  121. Samoa 2017
  122. Solomon Islands
  123. Tokelau 2013
  124. Tuvalu
  125. Vanuatu
  126. South America (6)
  127. Bolivia 2002
  128. Ecuador 2008
  129. Guyana 2017
  130. Peru
  131. Suriname
  132. Venezuela

Step-child adoption only

Same-sex adoption is step-child adoption only in 1 regions.

  1. Europe (1)
  2. Estonia 2017

Illegal

Same-sex adoption is illegal in 40 regions.

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

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

Data on same-sex adoption is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 12 regions.

  1. Asia (6)
  2. Cambodia
  3. Hong Kong
  4. Japan
  5. Laos
  6. Singapore
  7. Taiwan
  8. Europe (2)
  9. Italy
  10. Vatican City
  11. North America (1)
  12. Mexico
  13. Africa (1)
  14. Namibia
  15. Oceania (1)
  16. Fiji
  17. Antarctica (1)
  18. Antarctica

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