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Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 120 countries, but 41 require surgery.

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  • Legal, surgery not required
  • Legal, but requires surgery
  • Illegal
  • Unknown, N/A, or ambiguous

Recent Changes

  • Feb 11 2020Became Legal, surgery not required in New Zealand
  • Jan 1 2019Became Legal, surgery not required in Serbia
  • Mar 1 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Brazil
  • Feb 12 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in New Jersey
  • Feb 12 2018Became Legal, but requires surgery in Maine
  • Feb 2 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Minnesota
  • Jan 9 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in New Hampshire
  • Dec 27 2017Became Legal, surgery not required in Jammu and Kashmir

Right to change legal gender

Legal recognition of sex reassignment by permitting a change of legal gender on an individual's birth certificate.

Summary

79
Legal
79 regions (34%)
Legal
41
Somewhere in between
41 regions (18%)
Somewhere in between
20
Illegal
20 regions (9%)
Illegal
90
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
90 regions (39%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
42%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
21 regions (42%)
Somewhere in between
18 regions (36%)
Illegal
1 regions (2%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (20%)
Oceania
46%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
11 regions (46%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (4%)
Illegal
2 regions (8%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (42%)
South America
36%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
5 regions (36%)
Somewhere in between
4 regions (29%)
Illegal
1 regions (7%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
4 regions (29%)
North America
28%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
10 regions (28%)
Somewhere in between
3 regions (8%)
Illegal
1 regions (3%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
22 regions (61%)
Africa
41%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
24 regions (41%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (3%)
Illegal
6 regions (10%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
27 regions (46%)
Asia
17%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
8 regions (17%)
Somewhere in between
13 regions (28%)
Illegal
9 regions (20%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
16 regions (35%)

Progress over time

Number of countries with equality for right to change legal gender over the past 60 years.

Recent changes

Right to change legal gender by country

(and dependent territories)

Legal, surgery not required

Right to change legal gender is legal, surgery not required in 79 regions.

  1. Asia (8)
  2. Israel 2015
  3. Kyrgyzstan
  4. Macau
  5. Sri Lanka 2010
  6. Tajikistan
  7. Turkmenistan
  8. Uzbekistan
  9. Yemen
  10. Europe (21)
  11. Armenia
  12. Austria 2009
  13. Azerbaijan
  14. Belarus
  15. Denmark 2014
  16. France
  17. Georgia
  18. Germany 2011
  19. Greece 2017
  20. Ireland 2015
  21. Italy 2015
  22. Lithuania
  23. Luxembourg
  24. Netherlands 2013
  25. Norway 2016
  26. Portugal
  27. Serbia 2019
  28. Spain 2006
  29. Switzerland
  30. Ukraine
  31. United Kingdom 2005
  32. North America (10)
  33. Bermuda 2004
  34. British Virgin Islands
  35. Costa Rica
  36. Cuba
  37. Guadeloupe
  38. Guatemala
  39. Haiti 2016
  40. Jamaica
  41. Martinique
  42. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  43. Africa (24)
  44. Angola
  45. Benin
  46. Botswana
  47. British Indian Ocean Territory
  48. Burkina Faso
  49. Central African Republic
  50. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  51. Equatorial Guinea
  52. Gabon
  53. Gambia
  54. Ghana
  55. Kenya
  56. Lesotho
  57. Mauritania
  58. Mauritius
  59. Mayotte
  60. Mozambique
  61. Niger 2015
  62. Republic of the Congo
  63. Réunion
  64. Saint Helena 2016
  65. Sao Tome and Principe
  66. Seychelles
  67. Zimbabwe
  68. Oceania (11)
  69. Australia 2017
  70. Christmas Island
  71. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  72. Cook Islands
  73. French Polynesia 2013
  74. New Zealand 2020
  75. Niue
  76. Norfolk Island
  77. Samoa
  78. Vanuatu
  79. Wallis and Futuna
  80. South America (5)
  81. Argentina 2012
  82. Brazil 2018
  83. Ecuador 2016
  84. French Guiana
  85. Peru 2016

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 41 regions.

  1. Asia (13)
  2. Bahrain 2014
  3. China
  4. Hong Kong 2013
  5. India 2014
  6. Indonesia 2009
  7. Iran 1987
  8. Japan 2008
  9. Lebanon 2016
  10. Nepal 2013
  11. Singapore 1996
  12. South Korea 2013
  13. Taiwan 2013
  14. Vietnam 2017
  15. Europe (18)
  16. Belgium 2007
  17. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  18. Bulgaria
  19. Croatia 1994
  20. Czech Republic
  21. Estonia 1999
  22. Faroe Islands
  23. Finland 2003
  24. Hungary 1982
  25. Iceland 2012
  26. Malta
  27. Moldova
  28. Montenegro
  29. Poland 1964
  30. Russia 1997
  31. Slovenia 2011
  32. Sweden 1972
  33. Turkey 2015
  34. North America (3)
  35. Mexico 2003
  36. Panama 2006
  37. United States 2013
  38. Africa (2)
  39. Namibia
  40. South Africa 2004
  41. Oceania (1)
  42. Fiji
  43. South America (4)
  44. Bolivia 2015
  45. Chile 2017
  46. Colombia 2013
  47. Uruguay 2009

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 20 regions.

  1. Asia (9)
  2. East Timor
  3. Kuwait
  4. Malaysia 1965
  5. Oman
  6. Pakistan 2017
  7. Philippines 2007
  8. Qatar 1915
  9. Thailand 1932
  10. United Arab Emirates
  11. Europe (1)
  12. Macedonia
  13. North America (1)
  14. Bahamas
  15. Africa (6)
  16. Algeria
  17. Cape Verde
  18. Côte d’Ivoire
  19. Ethiopia
  20. Morocco
  21. Tunisia 1957
  22. Oceania (2)
  23. Kiribati
  24. Tonga
  25. South America (1)
  26. Guyana

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

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 90 regions.

  1. Asia (16)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Bhutan
  5. Brunei
  6. Cambodia
  7. Iraq
  8. Jordan
  9. Kazakhstan
  10. Laos
  11. Maldives
  12. Mongolia
  13. Myanmar
  14. North Korea
  15. Palestine
  16. Saudi Arabia
  17. Syria
  18. Europe (10)
  19. Albania
  20. Andorra
  21. Cyprus
  22. Latvia
  23. Liechtenstein
  24. Monaco
  25. Romania
  26. San Marino
  27. Slovakia
  28. Vatican City
  29. North America (22)
  30. Anguilla
  31. Antigua and Barbuda
  32. Aruba
  33. Barbados
  34. Belize
  35. Canada
  36. Cayman Islands
  37. Curaçao
  38. Dominica
  39. Dominican Republic
  40. El Salvador
  41. Greenland
  42. Grenada
  43. Honduras
  44. Montserrat
  45. Nicaragua
  46. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  47. Saint Lucia
  48. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  49. Sint Maarten
  50. Trinidad and Tobago
  51. Turks and Caicos Islands
  52. Africa (27)
  53. Burundi
  54. Cameroon
  55. Chad
  56. Comoros
  57. Djibouti
  58. Egypt
  59. Eritrea
  60. Guinea
  61. Guinea-Bissau
  62. Liberia
  63. Libya
  64. Madagascar
  65. Malawi
  66. Mali
  67. Nigeria
  68. Rwanda
  69. Senegal
  70. Sierra Leone
  71. Somalia
  72. South Sudan
  73. Sudan
  74. Swaziland
  75. Tanzania
  76. Togo
  77. Uganda
  78. Western Sahara
  79. Zambia
  80. Oceania (10)
  81. Federated States of Micronesia
  82. Marshall Islands
  83. Nauru
  84. New Caledonia
  85. Palau
  86. Papua New Guinea
  87. Pitcairn Islands
  88. Solomon Islands
  89. Tokelau
  90. Tuvalu
  91. South America (4)
  92. Falkland Islands
  93. Paraguay
  94. Suriname
  95. Venezuela
  96. Antarctica (1)
  97. Antarctica

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