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
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.
Recent changes
- CubaLegalSep 26, 2022
- SloveniaLegalJul 8, 2022
- CroatiaLegalMay 26, 2022
- Nayarit, MexicoLegalFeb 22, 2022
- ChileLegalDec 9, 2021
- SwitzerlandLegalSep 26, 2021
- Kābul, AfghanistanIllegalSep 15, 2021
- PanamaIllegalMar 1, 2021
- HungaryIllegalDec 15, 2020
- Costa RicaLegalMay 26, 2020
Same-sex adoption by country
(and dependent territories)Legal
Same-sex adoption is legal in 52 regions.
- Europe (21)
- Andorra 2014
- Austria 2015
- Belgium 2006
- Croatia 2022
- Denmark 2009
- Finland 2017
- France 2013
- Germany 2017
- Iceland 2006
- Ireland 2015
- Isle of Man 2011
- Luxembourg 2015
- Malta 2014
- Netherlands 2000
- Norway 2009
- Portugal 2016
- Slovenia 2022
- Spain 2005
- Sweden 2002
- Switzerland 2021
- United Kingdom 2002
- North America (9)
- Bermuda 2015
- Canada 1995
- Costa Rica 2020
- Cuba 2022
- Greenland 2015
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon 2013
- United States 2017
- Oceania (7)
- Australia 2018
- Christmas Island
- Cocos
- French Polynesia 2013
- New Caledonia 2013
- Norfolk Island
- Wallis and Futuna
- South America (7)
- Argentina 2010
- Brazil 2000
- Chile 2021
- Colombia 2015
- Falkland Islands 2017
- French Guiana
- Uruguay 2009
Married couples only
Same-sex adoption is married couples only in 1 regions.
- Oceania (1)
- New Zealand 2013
Single only
Same-sex adoption is single only in 126 regions.
- Asia (19)
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- China 2018
- India
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan 2005
- Macau 2017
- Malaysia 1826
- Maldives
- Mongolia 2017
- Myanmar 2016
- Nepal 2017
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Timor-Leste
- Turkmenistan
- Vietnam 2000
- Europe (22)
- Albania 2017
- Armenia
- Belarus 2016
- Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
- Bulgaria 2017
- Faroe Islands
- Georgia
- Greece 1996
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein 2011
- Lithuania
- Moldova 2012
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Poland 2016
- Romania
- Russia 1995
- San Marino
- Slovakia 2017
- Turkey
- Ukraine 2016
- North America (24)
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas 2017
- Barbados
- Belize
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Curaçao
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras 2017
- Jamaica 2017
- Montserrat
- Nicaragua 2017
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Sint Maarten
- Trinidad and Tobago 1947
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Africa (41)
- Algeria 1966
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- 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
- Libya 2017
- 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
- Western Sahara
- Zimbabwe
Step-child adoption only
Same-sex adoption is step-child adoption only in 1 regions.
- Europe (1)
- Estonia 2017
Illegal
Same-sex adoption is illegal in 40 regions.
- Asia (18)
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Brunei 1951
- Indonesia
- Iran
- North Korea 2020
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar 1915
- Saudi Arabia 1932
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka 2017
- Syria
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
- Africa (12)
- Djibouti 2017
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Kenya 2002
- Lesotho 1966
- Mauritania 1983
- Morocco
- Mozambique 1886
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Zambia
- Oceania (1)
- Tonga 2013
- South America (1)
- Paraguay 2020
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