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Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 113 countries, but 38 require surgery.

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

Recent Changes

  • May 28 2020Became Illegal in Hungary
  • May 1 2020Became Legal, surgery not required in Victoria
  • Feb 11 2020Became Legal, surgery not required in New Zealand
  • Jan 1 2020Became Legal, surgery not required in Colorado
  • Jun 18 2019Became Legal, surgery not required in Iceland
  • Jan 1 2019Became Legal, surgery not required in Serbia
  • Oct 18 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Uruguay
  • May 11 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Pakistan

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

75
Legal
75 regions (32%)
Legal
38
Somewhere in between
38 regions (16%)
Somewhere in between
32
Illegal
32 regions (14%)
Illegal
87
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
87 regions (38%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
48%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
25 regions (48%)
Somewhere in between
15 regions (29%)
Illegal
3 regions (6%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
9 regions (17%)
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
43%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
6 regions (43%)
Somewhere in between
3 regions (21%)
Illegal
2 regions (14%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
3 regions (21%)
North America
33%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
12 regions (33%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (6%)
Illegal
1 regions (3%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
21 regions (58%)
Africa
22%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
13 regions (22%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (2%)
Illegal
14 regions (24%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
31 regions (53%)
Asia
17%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
8 regions (17%)
Somewhere in between
16 regions (35%)
Illegal
10 regions (22%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
12 regions (26%)

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 75 regions.

  1. Asia (8)
  2. Bangladesh 2013
  3. India 2014
  4. Israel 2015
  5. Macau
  6. Pakistan 2018
  7. South Korea 2013
  8. Sri Lanka 2010
  9. Uzbekistan
  10. Europe (25)
  11. Austria 2009
  12. Belarus
  13. Belgium 2018
  14. Denmark 2014
  15. France
  16. Georgia
  17. Germany 2011
  18. Greece 2017
  19. Iceland 2019
  20. Ireland 2015
  21. Isle of Man 2009
  22. Italy 2015
  23. Lithuania
  24. Luxembourg
  25. Malta 2015
  26. Netherlands 2013
  27. Norway 2016
  28. Poland 1964
  29. Portugal
  30. Serbia 2019
  31. Spain 2006
  32. Sweden 2013
  33. Switzerland
  34. Ukraine
  35. United Kingdom 2005
  36. North America (12)
  37. Bermuda 2004
  38. British Virgin Islands
  39. Costa Rica
  40. Cuba
  41. Greenland 2014
  42. Guadeloupe
  43. Guatemala
  44. Haiti 2016
  45. Jamaica
  46. Martinique
  47. Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  48. United States 2013
  49. Africa (13)
  50. Angola
  51. Botswana 2017
  52. British Indian Ocean Territory
  53. Equatorial Guinea
  54. Kenya
  55. Lesotho
  56. Mauritius
  57. Mayotte
  58. Mozambique
  59. Réunion
  60. Saint Helena 2016
  61. Seychelles
  62. South Africa 2004
  63. Oceania (11)
  64. Australia 2017
  65. Christmas Island
  66. Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  67. Cook Islands
  68. French Polynesia 2013
  69. New Zealand 2020
  70. Niue
  71. Norfolk Island
  72. Samoa
  73. Vanuatu
  74. Wallis and Futuna
  75. South America (6)
  76. Argentina 2012
  77. Brazil 2018
  78. Ecuador 2016
  79. French Guiana
  80. Peru 2016
  81. Uruguay 2018

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 32 regions.

  1. Asia (10)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Kuwait
  5. Malaysia 1965
  6. Oman
  7. Qatar 1915
  8. Saudi Arabia
  9. Thailand 1932
  10. Timor-Leste
  11. United Arab Emirates
  12. Europe (3)
  13. Hungary 2020
  14. Kosovo
  15. North Macedonia
  16. North America (1)
  17. Bahamas
  18. Africa (14)
  19. Algeria
  20. Cape Verde
  21. Côte d’Ivoire
  22. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  23. Ethiopia
  24. Gambia
  25. Malawi
  26. Mauritania
  27. Morocco
  28. Nigeria
  29. Rwanda
  30. Somalia
  31. South Sudan
  32. Tunisia 1957
  33. Oceania (2)
  34. Kiribati
  35. Tonga
  36. South America (2)
  37. Falkland Islands 2014
  38. Guyana

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 38 regions.

  1. Asia (16)
  2. Bahrain 2014
  3. China
  4. Hong Kong 2013
  5. Indonesia 1973
  6. Iran 1987
  7. Japan 2004
  8. Kazakhstan 2003
  9. Kyrgyzstan
  10. Lebanon 2016
  11. Mongolia 2009
  12. Nepal 2013
  13. Singapore 1996
  14. Syria 2004
  15. Taiwan 2013
  16. Tajikistan
  17. Vietnam 2017
  18. Europe (15)
  19. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  20. Bulgaria
  21. Croatia 1994
  22. Czech Republic
  23. Estonia 1999
  24. Faroe Islands
  25. Finland 2003
  26. Latvia 2009
  27. Moldova
  28. Montenegro
  29. Romania 1996
  30. Russia 1997
  31. Slovakia 2016
  32. Slovenia 2011
  33. Turkey 2015
  34. North America (2)
  35. Mexico 2003
  36. Panama 2006
  37. Africa (1)
  38. Namibia
  39. Oceania (1)
  40. Fiji
  41. South America (3)
  42. Bolivia 2015
  43. Chile 2017
  44. Colombia 2013

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

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 87 regions.

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

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