Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 80 countries, but 41 require surgery.

Loading map of LGBT rights...
  • Legal, surgery not required
  • Legal, but requires medical diagnosis
  • Legal, but requires surgery
  • Illegal
  • Varies by region or ambiguous
  • Unknown or N/A

Recent Changes

  • Jul 19 2023Became Illegal in Russia
  • 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
  • Dec 22 2022Became Legal, surgery not required in Spain
  • Dec 2 2022Became Legal, surgery not required in Queensland

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

39
Legal
39 regions (20%)
Legal
53
Somewhere in between
53 regions (27%)
Somewhere in between
67
Illegal
67 regions (34%)
Illegal
39
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
39 regions (20%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
40%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
20 regions (40%)
Somewhere in between
19 regions (38%)
Illegal
10 regions (20%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
1 regions (2%)
Oceania
21%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (21%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
5 regions (36%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
6 regions (43%)
South America
58%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (58%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (17%)
Illegal
3 regions (25%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
regions (0%)
North America
17%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
4 regions (17%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (9%)
Illegal
13 regions (57%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
4 regions (17%)
Africa
6%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (6%)
Somewhere in between
6 regions (11%)
Illegal
24 regions (44%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
21 regions (39%)
Asia
5%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (5%)
Somewhere in between
24 regions (55%)
Illegal
11 regions (25%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
7 regions (16%)

Progress Over Time

Number of countries with equality for right to change legal gender over the past 60 years.
There are no recent changes about Right to change legal gender.

Right to change legal gender by Country

Legal, surgery not required

Right to change legal gender is legal, surgery not required in 39 regions.

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

Legal, but requires medical diagnosis

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires medical diagnosis in 12 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Iraq 2018
  3. Nepal 2007
  4. Europe (8)
  5. Austria 2009
  6. Belarus 2004
  7. Germany 1981
  8. Poland 1991
  9. Serbia 2019
  10. Slovenia 2005
  11. Sweden 2013
  12. United Kingdom 2005
  13. Africa (1)
  14. South Africa 2004
  15. South America (1)
  16. Peru 2016

Legal, but requires surgery

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

  1. North America (2)
  2. Cuba 2008
  3. Panama 2006
  4. South America (1)
  5. Suriname 2009

Spot an error? Visit the region and select "Accurate?: No" so Equaldex's editors can review it.