Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 68 countries, but 34 require surgery.

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  • Legal, no restrictions
  • Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
  • Legal, but requires surgery
  • Illegal
  • Varies by region or ambiguous
  • Unknown or N/A

Recent Changes

  • Jul 1 2025Became Legal, no restrictions in region
  • Nov 1 2024Became Legal, no restrictions in region
  • Jul 1 2024Became Illegal in region
  • Jan 30 2024Became Illegal in region
  • Dec 13 2023Became Legal, no restrictions in region
  • Oct 23 2023Became Illegal in region
  • Jul 19 2023Became Illegal in region
  • Jul 19 2023Became Illegal in region

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

34
Legal
34 regions (17%)
Legal
49
Somewhere in between
49 regions (25%)
Somewhere in between
103
Illegal
103 regions (52%)
Illegal
12
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
12 regions (6%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
34%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
17 regions (34%)
Somewhere in between
23 regions (46%)
Illegal
9 regions (18%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (2%)
Oceania
7%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (7%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
11 regions (79%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (14%)
South America
58%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (58%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (8%)
Illegal
4 regions (33%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
regions (0%)
North America
13%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (13%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (9%)
Illegal
17 regions (74%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (4%)
Africa
4%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (4%)
Somewhere in between
5 regions (9%)
Illegal
42 regions (78%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
5 regions (9%)
Asia
9%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
4 regions (9%)
Somewhere in between
18 regions (41%)
Illegal
20 regions (46%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
2 regions (5%)

Progress Over Time

Number of countries with equality for right to change legal gender over the past 61 years.

Upcoming Changes

2024

2023

2022

Right to change legal gender by Country

Legal, no restrictions

Right to change legal gender is legal, no restrictions in 34 regions.

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Bangladesh 2013
  3. Israel 2015
  4. Pakistan 2023
  5. Taiwan 2021
  6. Europe (17)
  7. Andorra 2023
  8. Belgium 2018
  9. Croatia 2014
  10. Cyprus 2022
  11. Denmark 2014
  12. Estonia 1999
  13. Finland 2023
  14. France 2018
  15. Greece 2017
  16. Iceland 2019
  17. Ireland 2015
  18. Luxembourg 2018
  19. Malta 2015
  20. Norway 2016
  21. Portugal 2018
  22. Spain 2022
  23. Switzerland 2022
  24. North America (3)
  25. Canada 2017
  26. Costa Rica 2018
  27. Mexico 2009
  28. Africa (2)
  29. Botswana 2017
  30. Mozambique 2004
  31. Oceania (1)
  32. New Zealand 2023
  33. South America (7)
  34. Argentina 2012
  35. Bolivia 2016
  36. Brazil 2018
  37. Chile 2019
  38. Colombia 2015
  39. Ecuador 2016
  40. Uruguay 2018

Legal, but requires medical diagnosis

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires medical diagnosis in 15 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Bhutan
  3. Sri Lanka 2016
  4. Europe (11)
  5. Austria 2009
  6. Belarus 2004
  7. Germany 1981
  8. Italy 2015
  9. Lithuania 2022
  10. Netherlands 2013
  11. Poland 1995
  12. Serbia 2019
  13. Slovenia 2005
  14. Sweden 2013
  15. United Kingdom 2005
  16. Africa (1)
  17. South Africa 2004
  18. South America (1)
  19. Peru 2016

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 34 regions.

  1. Asia (16)
  2. China 2018
  3. India 2019
  4. Indonesia 1973
  5. Iran 1987
  6. Japan 2022
  7. Jordan
  8. Kazakhstan 2011
  9. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  10. Laos 2009
  11. Lebanon 2016
  12. Mongolia 2009
  13. Singapore 1996
  14. South Korea
  15. Syria 2004
  16. Tajikistan
  17. Vietnam 2017
  18. Europe (12)
  19. Armenia 1972
  20. Azerbaijan 1972
  21. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  22. Czech Republic
  23. Georgia 2008
  24. Kosovo 1989
  25. Latvia 2009
  26. Moldova
  27. Montenegro
  28. North Macedonia 2019
  29. Romania 1996
  30. Turkey 2017
  31. North America (2)
  32. Cuba 2008
  33. Panama 2006
  34. Africa (4)
  35. Egypt
  36. Namibia
  37. Tunisia 2018
  38. Zimbabwe 1986

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 103 regions.

  1. Asia (20)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Bahrain 2014
  4. Brunei
  5. Cambodia
  6. Iraq
  7. Kuwait
  8. Malaysia 1965
  9. Maldives
  10. Myanmar
  11. North Korea
  12. Oman
  13. Philippines 2007
  14. Qatar 1915
  15. Saudi Arabia
  16. Thailand
  17. Timor-Leste
  18. Turkmenistan 1991
  19. United Arab Emirates 2019
  20. Uzbekistan 1991
  21. Yemen
  22. Europe (9)
  23. Albania
  24. Bulgaria 2023
  25. Hungary 2020
  26. Liechtenstein 2016
  27. Monaco
  28. Russia 2023
  29. San Marino
  30. Slovakia 2022
  31. Vatican City
  32. North America (17)
  33. Antigua and Barbuda
  34. Bahamas
  35. Barbados
  36. Belize
  37. Dominica
  38. Dominican Republic
  39. El Salvador 2017
  40. Grenada
  41. Guatemala
  42. Haiti
  43. Honduras
  44. Jamaica
  45. Nicaragua
  46. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  47. Saint Lucia
  48. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  49. Trinidad and Tobago
  50. Africa (42)
  51. Algeria 1966
  52. Benin
  53. Burkina Faso
  54. Burundi
  55. Cameroon
  56. Cape Verde
  57. Central African Republic
  58. Chad
  59. Comoros
  60. Côte d’Ivoire
  61. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  62. Djibouti
  63. Equatorial Guinea
  64. Eritrea
  65. Eswatini
  66. Ethiopia
  67. Gabon
  68. Gambia
  69. Ghana
  70. Guinea
  71. Guinea-Bissau
  72. Liberia
  73. Libya
  74. Madagascar
  75. Malawi
  76. Mali
  77. Mauritania
  78. Mauritius
  79. Morocco
  80. Niger
  81. Nigeria
  82. Republic of the Congo
  83. Rwanda
  84. Sao Tome and Principe
  85. Senegal
  86. Seychelles
  87. Sierra Leone
  88. Somalia
  89. South Sudan
  90. Sudan
  91. Tanzania
  92. Togo
  93. Oceania (11)
  94. Federated States of Micronesia
  95. Fiji
  96. Kiribati
  97. Marshall Islands
  98. Nauru
  99. Palau
  100. Papua New Guinea
  101. Solomon Islands
  102. Tonga
  103. Tuvalu
  104. Vanuatu
  105. South America (4)
  106. Guyana
  107. Paraguay
  108. Suriname 2022
  109. Venezuela

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

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 12 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Nepal
  3. Palestine
  4. Europe (1)
  5. Ukraine
  6. North America (1)
  7. United States
  8. Africa (5)
  9. Angola
  10. Kenya
  11. Lesotho
  12. Uganda
  13. Zambia
  14. Oceania (2)
  15. Australia
  16. Samoa
  17. Antarctica (1)
  18. Antarctica

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