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Same-sex adoption

It's legal for same-sex couples to adopt children in 49 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

49
Legal
49 regions (21%)
Legal
131
Somewhere in between
131 regions (56%)
Somewhere in between
32
Illegal
32 regions (14%)
Illegal
20
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
20 regions (9%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
39%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
20 regions (39%)
Somewhere in between
21 regions (40%)
Illegal
7 regions (14%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
4 regions (8%)
Oceania
33%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
8 regions (33%)
Somewhere in between
15 regions (63%)
Illegal
regions (0%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (4%)
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
24 regions (52%)
Illegal
13 regions (28%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
8 regions (17%)

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 49 regions.

  1. Asia (1)
  2. Israel 2008
  3. Europe (20)
  4. Andorra 2014
  5. Austria 2015
  6. Belgium 2006
  7. Croatia 2022
  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 (8)
  40. Australia 2018
  41. Christmas Island
  42. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  43. French Polynesia 2013
  44. New Caledonia 2013
  45. New Zealand 2013
  46. Norfolk Island
  47. Wallis and Futuna
  48. South America (7)
  49. Argentina 2010
  50. Brazil 2000
  51. Chile 2021
  52. Colombia 2015
  53. Falkland Islands 2017
  54. French Guiana
  55. Uruguay 2009

Single only

Same-sex adoption is single only in 127 regions.

  1. Asia (23)
  2. Bangladesh
  3. Bhutan
  4. India
  5. Indonesia
  6. Iraq
  7. Jordan
  8. Kuwait
  9. Kyrgyzstan 2005
  10. Lebanon
  11. Macau 2017
  12. Malaysia 1826
  13. Maldives
  14. Mongolia 2017
  15. Myanmar 2016
  16. Nepal 2017
  17. Palestine
  18. Philippines
  19. Syria
  20. Tajikistan
  21. Timor-Leste
  22. Turkmenistan
  23. Uzbekistan
  24. Vietnam 2000
  25. Europe (19)
  26. Albania 2017
  27. Armenia
  28. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017
  29. Bulgaria 2017
  30. Faroe Islands
  31. Greece 1996
  32. Kosovo
  33. Latvia
  34. Liechtenstein 2011
  35. Lithuania
  36. Moldova 2012
  37. Montenegro
  38. North Macedonia
  39. Poland 2016
  40. Russia 1995
  41. San Marino
  42. Slovakia 2017
  43. Turkey
  44. Vatican City
  45. North America (25)
  46. Anguilla
  47. Antigua and Barbuda
  48. Aruba
  49. Bahamas 2017
  50. Barbados
  51. Belize
  52. British Virgin Islands
  53. Cayman Islands
  54. Cuba 2016
  55. Curaçao
  56. Dominica
  57. Dominican Republic
  58. Grenada
  59. Guatemala
  60. Haiti
  61. Honduras 2017
  62. Jamaica 2017
  63. Montserrat
  64. Nicaragua 2017
  65. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  66. Saint Lucia
  67. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  68. Sint Maarten
  69. Trinidad and Tobago 1947
  70. Turks and Caicos Islands
  71. Africa (40)
  72. Angola
  73. Benin
  74. Botswana
  75. Burkina Faso
  76. Burundi
  77. Cameroon
  78. Cape Verde
  79. Central African Republic 2017
  80. Chad
  81. Comoros
  82. Côte d’Ivoire
  83. Democratic Republic of the Congo 2017
  84. Djibouti 2017
  85. Egypt
  86. Equatorial Guinea
  87. Eritrea 2010
  88. Eswatini 1968
  89. Gabon
  90. Gambia
  91. Guinea
  92. Guinea-Bissau
  93. Liberia
  94. Libya 2017
  95. Madagascar
  96. Malawi
  97. Mali 2011
  98. Nigeria
  99. Republic of the Congo
  100. Sao Tome and Principe
  101. Senegal 2017
  102. Seychelles
  103. Sierra Leone
  104. Somalia
  105. South Sudan
  106. Sudan
  107. Togo
  108. Uganda
  109. Western Sahara
  110. Zambia
  111. Zimbabwe
  112. Oceania (15)
  113. Cook Islands
  114. Federated States of Micronesia 2017
  115. Kiribati
  116. Marshall Islands
  117. Nauru
  118. Niue
  119. Palau
  120. Papua New Guinea
  121. Pitcairn Islands 2001
  122. Samoa 2017
  123. Solomon Islands
  124. Tokelau 2013
  125. Tonga
  126. Tuvalu
  127. Vanuatu
  128. South America (5)
  129. Bolivia 2002
  130. Ecuador 2008
  131. Guyana 2017
  132. Suriname
  133. 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 32 regions.

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

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

Data on same-sex adoption is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 20 regions.

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

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