Country rankings

Countries Where Gay Marriage Is Legal

Thailand has the highest Year Legalized (2025), followed by Liechtenstein (2025) and Greece (2024). Netherlands has the lowest (2001).

Law231 countries · 3 metricsUpdated Sep 26, 2025Original page
4 sources
Year LegalizedBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
41 of 235 countries
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Year Legalized

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 41 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
2016
Middle half 2012 – 2022
Average
2016
41 countries
Highest
2025
Thailand
Lowest
2001
Netherlands

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

231 countries · # = rank by Year Legalized
#
1ThailandYes2025On March 27, 2024, the Thai parliament’s lower house passed a marriage equality bill, and on June 18, 2024, the upper house passed the bill into law. Thailand's King signed the marriage equality bill into law on September 24, 2024. The law went into effect on January 22, 2025.
1LiechtensteinYes2025On May 16, 2024, Liechtenstein's government passed a bill in favor of marriage equality. The law went into effect January 1, 2025.
3GreeceYes2024In a December 2023 poll, 52% of Greek citizens supported legalization of same-sex marriages. The bill ultimately passed 175-77 on Feb.15, 2024.
3EstoniaYes2024Legislation legalizing marriage between same-sex couples passed 55-34 in June 2023, and the law entered into force on January 01, 2024.
5NepalYes2023Legal status is unclear. Although legislation officially legalizing same-sex marriage had not yet been implemented, in 2024, the federal government directed all local governments to register same-sex marriages.
5AndorraYes2023Parliament in this small mountain country between France and Spain voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
7MexicoYes2022Same-sex marriage eventually became legal nationally after the Supreme Court declared state bans unconstitutional in 2015.
7ChileYes2022Sixth South American country to legalize same-sex marriage.
7CubaYes2022Change allowing same-sex marriage was part of a broader referendum on family law that passed by a 66.9% to 33.1% vote.
7SwitzerlandYes2022Nearly two-thirds of Swiss voters (64.1%) cast ballots in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in a 2021 referendum.
7SloveniaYes2022First country in formerly communist Eastern Europe to legalize same-sex marriage.
12Costa RicaYes2020First Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage.
13TaiwanYes2019A court ruling prompted a change in the law that made Taiwan the first jurisdiction in Asia to permit gays and lesbians to wed.
13EcuadorYes2019Court ruling made Ecuador the fifth South American country to allow gays and lesbians to wed.
13AustriaYes2019A court ruling in 2017 eventually led to the change.
16GermanyYes2017Legislation passed after then-Chancellor Angela Merkel said members of her ruling Christian Democratic Union should vote their conscience even though the party formally opposed same-sex marriage.
16AustraliaYes2017Voters supported legalizing same-sex marriage by a 61.6% to 38.4% margin in a non-binding nationwide referendum.
16FinlandYes2017The law, passed by Parliament in 2014, started out as a “citizens’ initiative” – a public petition with nearly 167,000 signatures. It came into effect in 2017.
16MaltaYes2017Parliament almost unanimously voted to legalize same-sex marriage.
20ColombiaYes2016Colombia’s Constitutional Court legalized same-sex marriage by a 6-3 vote.
20GreenlandYes2016Same-sex marriage has been legal in Greenland since 1 April 2016. Same-sex marriage legislation passed the Inatsisartut unanimously on 26 May 2015. Approval by the Folketing followed on 19 January 2016, and the law received royal assent on 3 February
22United StatesYes2015Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia had legalized same-sex marriage before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees it throughout the country.
22IrelandYes2015First country to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular referendum, with more than six-in-ten Irish voters (62%) in favor.
22Puerto RicoYes2015As a US territory, Puerto Rico is bound by the laws of the U.S., where gay marriage was legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015.
22LuxembourgYes2015The bill was championed by the country’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, who is openly gay.
26United KingdomYes2014Legal same-sex marriage took effect in Northern Ireland in 2020, six years after the change in England and Wales. Separate legislation was enacted in Scotland in 2014.
27BrazilYes2013About half of Brazil’s 27 jurisdictions had allowed same-sex marriage until a court ruling made it legal nationwide.
27FranceYes2013Then-French President François Hollande signed the law after an unsuccessful court challenge.
27New ZealandYes2013First country in the Asia-Pacific region to allow gays and lesbians to wed.
27UruguayNo2013Second Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, following Argentina.
31DenmarkYes2012Same-sex marriage became legal through a separate process in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, in 2016.
32ArgentinaYes2010First country in Latin America to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry.
32PortugalYes2010Measure passed by Parliament was approved by Portugal’s Constitutional Court.
32IcelandYes2010After the law took effect, the country’s prime minister at the time, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, wed her longtime partner, Jónína Leósdóttir, becoming one of the first people to marry under the statute.
35SwedenYes2009Gay and lesbian couples in Sweden previously had been allowed to register for civil unions since 1995.
35NorwayYes2009The law replaced a 1993 statute permitting civil unions.
37South AfricaYes2006Only African country where same-sex marriage is legal; several countries on the continent have passed laws that ban homosexuality in recent years.
38SpainYes2005Became the third country globally to legalize same-sex marriage after a vote in its closely divided Parliament.
38CanadaYes2005Same-sex marriage was legal in a majority of Canada’s provinces before Parliament passed national legislation.
40BelgiumYes2003Second country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, after its neighbor, the Netherlands.
41NetherlandsYes2001First country to legalize same-sex marriage after Parliament passed the law in December 2000.
—IndiaNo——
—ChinaNo——
—IndonesiaNo——
—PakistanNo——
—NigeriaNo——
—BangladeshNo——
—RussiaNo——
—EthiopiaNo——
—JapanNo——
—EgyptNo——
—PhilippinesNo——
—DR CongoNo——
—VietnamNo——
—IranNo——
—TurkeyNo——
—TanzaniaNo——
—ItalyNo——
—KenyaNo——
—MyanmarNo——
—SudanNo——
—UgandaNo——
—South KoreaNo——
—AlgeriaNo——
—IraqNo——
—AfghanistanNo——
—YemenNo——
—AngolaNo——
—UkraineNo——
—MoroccoNo——
—PolandNo——
—UzbekistanNo——
—MozambiqueNo——
—MalaysiaNo——
—GhanaNo——
—Saudi ArabiaNo——
—PeruNo——
—MadagascarNo——
—Ivory CoastNo——
—CameroonNo——
—NigerNo——
—VenezuelaNo——
—North KoreaNo——
—SyriaNo——
—MaliNo——
—Burkina FasoNo——
—Sri LankaNo——
—MalawiNo——
—ZambiaNo——
—ChadNo——
—KazakhstanNo——
—SomaliaNo——
—SenegalNo——
—GuatemalaNo——
—RomaniaNo——
—CambodiaNo——
—ZimbabweNo——
—GuineaNo——
—BeninNo——
—RwandaNo——
—BurundiNo——
—BoliviaNo——
—South SudanNo——
—TunisiaNo——
—HaitiNo——
—Dominican RepublicNo——
—JordanNo——
—United Arab EmiratesNo——
—HondurasNo——
—TajikistanNo——
—Papua New GuineaNo——
—CzechiaNo——
—AzerbaijanNo——
—TogoNo——
—IsraelNo——
—HungaryNo——
—Sierra LeoneNo——
—BelarusNo——
—LaosNo——
—TurkmenistanNo——
—LibyaNo——
—KyrgyzstanNo——
—Hong KongNo——
—NicaraguaNo——
—ParaguayNo——
—BulgariaNo——
—SerbiaNo——
—Republic of the CongoNo——
—El SalvadorNo——
—SingaporeNo——
—LebanonNo——
—LiberiaNo——
—Central African RepublicNo——
—PalestineNo——
—OmanNo——
—MauritaniaNo——
—SlovakiaNo——
—KuwaitNo——
—PanamaNo——
—CroatiaNo——
—GeorgiaNo——
—EritreaNo——
—MongoliaNo——
—QatarNo——
—NamibiaNo——
—Bosnia and HerzegovinaNo——
—MoldovaNo——
—ArmeniaNo——
—GambiaNo——
—JamaicaNo——
—LithuaniaNo——
—AlbaniaNo——
—GabonNo——
—BotswanaNo——
—LesothoNo——
—Guinea-BissauNo——
—Equatorial GuineaNo——
—LatviaNo——
—North MacedoniaNo——
—BahrainNo——
—Trinidad and TobagoNo——
—Timor-LesteNo——
—CyprusNo——
—EswatiniNo——
—MauritiusNo——
—DjiboutiNo——
—FijiNo——
—ComorosNo——
—ReunionNo——
—Solomon IslandsNo——
—GuyanaNo——
—BhutanNo——
—MacauNo——
—SurinameNo——
—MontenegroNo——
—Western SaharaNo——
—MaldivesNo——
—Cape VerdeNo——
—BruneiNo——
—BelizeNo——
—BahamasNo——
—GuadeloupeNo——
—MayotteNo——
—VanuatuNo——
—MartiniqueNo——
—French GuianaNo——
—New CaledoniaNo——
—French PolynesiaNo——
—BarbadosNo——
—Sao Tome and PrincipeNo——
—SamoaNo——
—CuracaoNo——
—Saint LuciaNo——
—GuamNo——
—KiribatiNo——
—SeychellesNo——
—GrenadaNo——
—MicronesiaNo——
—ArubaNo——
—TongaNo——
—Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNo——
—Antigua and BarbudaNo——
—Isle of ManNo——
—United States Virgin IslandsNo——
—Cayman IslandsNo——
—DominicaNo——
—BermudaNo——
—Faroe IslandsNo——
—Turks and Caicos IslandsNo——
—Saint Kitts and NevisNo——
—American SamoaNo——
—Sint MaartenNo——
—Northern Mariana IslandsNo——
—GibraltarNo——
—MonacoNo——
—Marshall IslandsNo——
—San MarinoNo——
—Saint MartinNo——
—PalauNo——
—AnguillaNo——
—Cook IslandsNo——
—NauruNo——
—Saint BarthelemyNo——
—Wallis and FutunaNo——
—TuvaluNo——
—Saint Pierre and MiquelonNo——
—MontserratNo——
—Falkland IslandsNo——
—TokelauNo——
—NiueNo——
—Vatican CityNo——

What correlates with Year Legalized?

Pearson r against 1,872 other country metrics sharing at least 25 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Year Legalized tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Year First IKEA OpenedCountries with the Most IKEAs
    r = +0.56 · strong · n = 27
    Plot
  2. Individuals Making $10k to $100kWealth Inequality by Country
    r = +0.51 · strong · n = 36
    Plot
  3. Rural Population RateRural Population by Country
    r = +0.49 · moderate · n = 40
    Plot
  4. Avg Weekly Hours Worked ILOAverage Workweek by Country
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 38
    Plot
  5. Slavery PrevalenceGlobal Slavery Index by Country
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 34
    Plot
  6. Estimated Slavery RateCountries that Still Have Slavery
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 34
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Year Legalized tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Travel IndexLGBT Rights by Country
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 40
    Plot
  2. LGBTQI+ Travel Safety IndexMost Homophobic Countries
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 40
    Plot
  3. Homophobic Climate Index Rank (UN)Most Homophobic CountriesA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = −0.66 · strong · n = 33
    Plot
  4. Global Acceptance Index 2017-2020Gay-Friendly Countries
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  5. Global Acceptance IndexLGBT Rights by Country
    r = −0.63 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  6. Transplants from Deceased Liver Donors per MillionOrgan Donation Rates by Country
    r = −0.56 · strong · n = 32
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Year Legalized?
Thailand has the highest Year Legalized, at 2025, followed by Liechtenstein (2025) and Greece (2024).
Which country has the lowest Year Legalized?
Netherlands has the lowest Year Legalized, at 2001.
What is the median Year Legalized across countries?
The median is 2016 across the 41 countries with data.
Where does this countries where gay marriage is legal data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Same-Sex Marriage Around the World - Pew Research Center; Where is Same-Sex Marriage Legal?; Same-sex marriage in Greenland - Wiki; Same-sex marriage - Wiki.