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Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 121 countries, but 34 require surgery.

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

Recent Changes

  • 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
  • May 11 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Pakistan
  • Mar 1 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in Brazil
  • Feb 12 2018Became Legal, surgery not required in New Jersey

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

87
Legal
87 regions (38%)
Legal
34
Somewhere in between
34 regions (15%)
Somewhere in between
24
Illegal
24 regions (10%)
Illegal
87
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
87 regions (38%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
Europe
52%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
27 regions (52%)
Somewhere in between
12 regions (23%)
Illegal
3 regions (6%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
10 regions (19%)
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
8 regions (14%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
25 regions (42%)
Asia
22%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
10 regions (22%)
Somewhere in between
12 regions (26%)
Illegal
9 regions (20%)
No data, no laws, N/A, or ambiguous
15 regions (33%)

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 87 regions.

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

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 24 regions.

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

Legal, but requires surgery

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

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

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

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