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Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 105 countries and territories, but 33 require surgery.

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

Recent Changes

  • Jun 15 2023Became Legal, surgery not required in New Zealand
  • Apr 3 2023Became Legal, surgery not required in Finland
  • Feb 21 2023Became Illegal in Bulgaria
  • Feb 17 2023Became Legal, surgery not required in Andorra
  • Feb 6 2023Became Legal, surgery not required in Hong Kong
  • Jan 31 2023Became Illegal in Hungary
  • Dec 22 2022Became Legal, surgery not required in Spain
  • Sep 19 2022Became Legal, surgery not required in Montana

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

72
Legal
72 regions (31%)
Legal
33
Somewhere in between
33 regions (14%)
Somewhere in between
72
Illegal
72 regions (31%)
Illegal
55
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
55 regions (24%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
56%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
29 regions (56%)
Somewhere in between
10 regions (19%)
Illegal
8 regions (15%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
5 regions (10%)
Oceania
38%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
9 regions (38%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
12 regions (50%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
3 regions (13%)
South America
64%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
9 regions (64%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
4 regions (29%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (7%)
North America
31%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
11 regions (31%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (3%)
Illegal
14 regions (39%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (28%)
Africa
10%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
6 regions (10%)
Somewhere in between
4 regions (7%)
Illegal
23 regions (39%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
26 regions (44%)
Asia
15%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (15%)
Somewhere in between
18 regions (39%)
Illegal
11 regions (24%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (22%)

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 72 regions.

  1. Asia (7)
  2. Bangladesh 2013
  3. Hong Kong 2023
  4. Israel 2015
  5. Macau
  6. Nepal 2013
  7. Pakistan 2018
  8. South Korea 2013
  9. Europe (29)
  10. Andorra 2023
  11. Austria 2009
  12. Belarus
  13. Belgium 2018
  14. Croatia 2014
  15. Denmark 2014
  16. Estonia 2002
  17. Finland 2023
  18. France 2018
  19. Germany 2011
  20. Greece 2017
  21. Iceland 2019
  22. Ireland 2015
  23. Isle of Man 2009
  24. Italy 2015
  25. Luxembourg
  26. Malta 2015
  27. Netherlands 2013
  28. Norway 2016
  29. Portugal 2018
  30. Russia 2018
  31. Serbia 2019
  32. Slovenia 2018
  33. Spain 2022
  34. Sweden 2013
  35. Switzerland
  36. Turkey 2017
  37. Ukraine
  38. United Kingdom 2005
  39. North America (11)
  40. Canada 2017
  41. Costa Rica 2018
  42. Cuba
  43. Greenland 2014
  44. Guadeloupe
  45. Guatemala 2017
  46. Haiti 2016
  47. Jamaica
  48. Martinique
  49. Mexico 2022
  50. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  51. Africa (6)
  52. Angola
  53. Botswana 2017
  54. British Indian Ocean Territory
  55. Mayotte
  56. Réunion
  57. Saint Helena 2016
  58. Oceania (9)
  59. Christmas Island
  60. Cocos
  61. Cook Islands
  62. French Polynesia 2013
  63. New Caledonia 2018
  64. New Zealand 2023
  65. Niue
  66. Norfolk Island
  67. Wallis and Futuna
  68. South America (9)
  69. Argentina 2012
  70. Bolivia 2016
  71. Brazil 2018
  72. Chile 2019
  73. Colombia 2015
  74. Ecuador 2016
  75. French Guiana
  76. Peru 2016
  77. Uruguay 2018
  78. Antarctica (1)
  79. Antarctica

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 72 regions.

  1. Asia (11)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Malaysia 1965
  6. Myanmar
  7. North Korea
  8. Oman
  9. Saudi Arabia 1932
  10. Timor-Leste
  11. Turkmenistan
  12. United Arab Emirates
  13. Europe (8)
  14. Azerbaijan
  15. Bulgaria 2023
  16. Hungary 2023
  17. Kosovo
  18. Liechtenstein 2016
  19. Monaco
  20. San Marino 2013
  21. Vatican City
  22. North America (14)
  23. Anguilla
  24. Antigua and Barbuda
  25. Aruba
  26. Bahamas
  27. Barbados
  28. Belize
  29. British Virgin Islands
  30. Dominican Republic
  31. El Salvador 2017
  32. Nicaragua
  33. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  34. Saint Lucia
  35. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  36. Trinidad and Tobago
  37. Africa (23)
  38. Algeria
  39. Cameroon
  40. Cape Verde
  41. Central African Republic
  42. Comoros
  43. Côte d’Ivoire
  44. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  45. Djibouti
  46. Equatorial Guinea
  47. Ethiopia
  48. Gabon
  49. Gambia
  50. Guinea-Bissau
  51. Libya
  52. Malawi
  53. Mauritania
  54. Morocco
  55. Nigeria
  56. Rwanda
  57. Seychelles
  58. Somalia
  59. South Sudan
  60. Tunisia 1957
  61. Oceania (12)
  62. Federated States of Micronesia
  63. Fiji
  64. Kiribati
  65. Marshall Islands
  66. Nauru
  67. Palau
  68. Papua New Guinea
  69. Samoa
  70. Solomon Islands
  71. Tonga
  72. Tuvalu
  73. Vanuatu
  74. South America (4)
  75. Falkland Islands 2014
  76. Paraguay 2017
  77. Suriname
  78. Venezuela

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 33 regions.

  1. Asia (18)
  2. Bahrain 2014
  3. China
  4. India 2020
  5. Indonesia 1973
  6. Iran 1987
  7. Japan 2004
  8. Jordan
  9. Kazakhstan 2003
  10. Kyrgyzstan
  11. Laos 2009
  12. Lebanon 2016
  13. Mongolia 2009
  14. Singapore 1996
  15. Sri Lanka 2010
  16. Syria 1949
  17. Taiwan 2013
  18. Tajikistan
  19. Vietnam 2017
  20. Europe (10)
  21. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  22. Czech Republic
  23. Faroe Islands
  24. Georgia 2008
  25. Latvia 2009
  26. Moldova
  27. Montenegro
  28. North Macedonia
  29. Poland 1964
  30. Romania 1996
  31. North America (1)
  32. Panama 2006
  33. Africa (4)
  34. Egypt
  35. Kenya
  36. Namibia
  37. South Africa 2004

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

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 55 regions.

  1. Asia (10)
  2. Bhutan
  3. Iraq
  4. Kuwait
  5. Maldives
  6. Palestine
  7. Philippines
  8. Qatar
  9. Thailand
  10. Uzbekistan
  11. Yemen
  12. Europe (5)
  13. Albania
  14. Armenia
  15. Cyprus
  16. Lithuania
  17. Slovakia
  18. North America (10)
  19. Bermuda
  20. Cayman Islands
  21. Curaçao
  22. Dominica
  23. Grenada
  24. Honduras
  25. Montserrat
  26. Sint Maarten
  27. Turks and Caicos Islands
  28. United States
  29. Africa (26)
  30. Benin
  31. Burkina Faso
  32. Burundi
  33. Chad
  34. Eritrea
  35. Eswatini
  36. Ghana
  37. Guinea
  38. Lesotho
  39. Liberia
  40. Madagascar
  41. Mali
  42. Mauritius
  43. Mozambique
  44. Niger
  45. Republic of the Congo
  46. Sao Tome and Principe
  47. Senegal
  48. Sierra Leone
  49. Sudan
  50. Tanzania
  51. Togo
  52. Uganda
  53. Western Sahara
  54. Zambia
  55. Zimbabwe
  56. Oceania (3)
  57. Australia
  58. Pitcairn Islands
  59. Tokelau
  60. South America (1)
  61. Guyana

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