The legal status of same-sex marriage has changed in recent years in numerous jurisdictions around the world. The current trends and consensus of political authorities and religions throughout the world are summarized in this article.

Recognition has been achieved through various mechanisms: legislative actions, high court rulings declaring statutory bans on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional, and direct democracy where the electorate voted in favor of legalization through referendums or national postal surveys.

The first country to legalize same-sex marriage was the Netherlands, where such marriages have been legal since 1 April 2001. The most recent country to extend full marriage rights to same-sex couples as of is Thailand, where the law took effect on 23 January 2025. As of 2026, Bermuda is the first and only jurisdiction in the world that formally legalized same-sex marriage and then later repealed it.

On 25 November 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled that all member states of the European Union must recognize a lawful marriage between two European Union citizens of the same sex from another member country.

Civil recognition

Global summary Same-sex marriage is legal in the following countries:

Country Legalization method Date of nationwide legalization Notes 1 Netherlands Passed by the States General 1 April 2001 Legalized in the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba in 2012, and the constituent countries of Aruba and Curaçao in 2024. Marriages conducted elsewhere can be registered in Sint Maarten, though marriages cannot be performed there and all rights of marriage are not guaranteed. 2 Belgium Passed by the Belgian Federal Parliament 1 June 2003 3 Spain Passed by the 3 July 2005 4 Canada Passed by the Parliament of Canada 20 July 2005 Legal in some provinces and territories since 2003. 5 South Africa Passed by the Parliament of South Africa after ruling of the Constitutional Court of South Africa 30 November 2006 6 Norway Passed by the Storting 1 January 2009 7 Sweden Passed by the Riksdag 1 May 2009 8 Portugal Passed by the Assembly of the Republic 5 June 2010 9 Iceland Passed by the Althing 27 June 2010 10 Argentina Passed by the Congress of the Argentine Nation 22 July 2010 11 Denmark Passed by the Folketing 15 June 2012 Legalized in the constituent countries of Greenland in 2016 and Faroe Islands in 2017. 12 Brazil Ruling of the National Justice Council 16 May 2013 Legal in some states since 2011. 13 France Passed by the French Parliament 18 May 2013 14 Uruguay Passed by the General Assembly of Uruguay 5 August 2013 15 New Zealand Passed by the New Zealand House of Representatives 19 August 2013 Excluding the territory of Tokelau, and the associated states of Niue and the Cook Islands. 16 Luxembourg Passed by the Chamber of Deputies 1 January 2015 17 United States Ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States 26 June 2015 Legal in some states since 2004. Not legal in some sovereign reservations and recognized but not performed in American Samoa. 18 Ireland Approved by referendum and passed by the Oireachtas 16 November 2015 19 Colombia Ruling of the Constitutional Court of Colombia 28 April 2016 20 Finland Passed by the Eduskunta 1 March 2017 21 Malta Passed by the Parliament of Malta 1 September 2017 22 Germany Passed by the Bundestag and the Bundesrat 1 October 2017 23 Australia Passed by the Parliament of Australia following majority support in a national postal survey 9 December 2017 24 Austria Ruling of the Constitutional Court of Austria 1 January 2019 25 Taiwan Passed by the Legislative Yuan after ruling of the Constitutional Court of Taiwan 24 May 2019 26 Ecuador Ruling of the Constitutional Court of Ecuador 8 July 2019 Adoption rights are not granted to married couples. 27 Passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom and the Scottish Parliament 13 January 2020 Legal in England, Wales and Scotland since 2014. Legal in Northern Ireland since 2020. Legal in most British Overseas Territories except in the Caribbean territories. 28 Costa Rica Ruling of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica 26 May 2020 29 Chile Passed by the National Congress of Chile 10 March 2022 30 Switzerland Passed by the Federal Assembly of Switzerland and adopted in a referendum 1 July 2022 31 Slovenia Ruling of the Constitutional Court of Slovenia 9 July 2022 32 Cuba Passed by the National Assembly of People's Power and adopted in a referendum 27 September 2022 33 Mexico Rulings from the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), some cases through executive reforms to avoid a writ of amparo 31 December 2022 Each of Mexico's 32 federal entities (states) gradually legalized it, with Mexico City being the first in 2010 and Guerrero the last in 2022. Some states do not grant adoption rights. 34 Andorra Passed by the General Council 17 February 2023 35 Estonia Passed by the Riigikogu 1 January 2024 36 GreecePassed by the Hellenic Parliament 16 February 2024 37 LiechtensteinPassed by the Landtag1 January 2025 38 ThailandPassed by the National Assembly of Thailand23 January 2025

Opinion polls

Africa

South Africa is the only African country that legally recognizes same-sex marriage.

South Africa

In December 2005, in the case of Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie, the Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled unanimously that bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. The Court gave Parliament one year to change the laws, or same-sex marriage would be legalized by default.

In November 2006, Parliament passed the Civil Union Act, under which both same-sex and opposite-sex couples may contract unions. A union under the Civil Union Act may, at the choice of the spouses, be called either a marriage or a civil partnership; whichever name is chosen, the legal effect is identical to that of a traditional marriage under the Marriage Act. Both religious and civil officials may refuse to perform same-sex marriages.

Namibia

In May 2023, the Supreme Court of Namibia ruled in favor of recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions, directing the Ministry of Home Affairs to recognize same-sex marriages legally performed outside Namibia.

In response, President Nangolo Mbumba on 2 October 2024 assented to the Marriage Act of 2024, which defined marriage as being between two persons of opposite sex.

The Act does not rescind recognition of foreign same-sex marriages recognized before its enactment, but prevents further same-sex marriages performed abroad from being recognized. Although the Act has not yet come into force as of November 2025, legal analysts have argued that its provisions contradict the Supreme Court's ruling and may face constitutional challenges regarding the separation of powers.

Americas

Argentina

On 22 July 2010, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalise same-sex marriage. The law also allows same-sex couples to adopt. And in many jurisdictions, including the city of Buenos Aires, it is also legal for non-residents and tourists.

Brazil

On 25 October 2011, Brazil's Supreme Court of Justice ruled that two women can enter into civil marriage under the current law, thus overturning the decision of two lower court's ruling against the women. Following this ruling, a growing number of courts of Brazilian states, such as the most populous state of São Paulo, implemented directives which allowed for same-sex civil marriages in the same manner as other marriages.

Same-sex couples can currently have registered partnerships and full rights to adopt children in all states, and same-sex marriages based on court orders have occurred in several states in individual cases.

On 14 May 2013, Brazil's National Justice Council (CNJ) ruled in favor of recognizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Canada

In Canada between 2003 and 2005, court rulings in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Yukon ruled the prohibition of same-sex marriage to be contrary to the Charter of Rights, thus legalizing it in those jurisdictions (which covered 90% of the population). In response to these rulings, the governing Liberal party minority government introduced legislation to allow same-sex couples to marry. On 20 July 2005, the Canadian Parliament passed the Civil Marriage Act, defining marriage nationwide as "the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others." This was challenged on 7 December 2006 by a motion tabled by the newly elected Conservative party, asking the government to introduce amendments to the Marriage Act to restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples; it was defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 175 to 123.

Canada does not have a residency requirement for marriage; consequently, many foreign couples have gone to Canada to marry, regardless of whether that marriage will be recognized in their home country. In fact, in some cases, a Canadian marriage has provided the basis for a challenge to the laws of another country, with cases in Ireland and Israel. The plaintiff in the case of United States v. Windsor, which challenged the Defense of Marriage Act, wed her wife in Ontario.

Since 11 November 2004, the Canadian federal government's immigration department, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), considers same-sex marriages performed in Canada valid for the purposes of sponsoring a spouse to immigrate. Canadian immigration authorities previously considered long-term, same-sex relationships to be equivalent to similar heterosexual relationships as grounds for sponsorship.

Colombia

The Colombian Constitutional Court ruled in February 2007 that same-sex couples are entitled to the same inheritance rights as heterosexuals in common-law marriages. This ruling made Colombia the first South American nation to legally recognize same-sex couples. In January 2009, the Court ruled that same-sex couples must be granted all rights offered to cohabiting heterosexual couples. On 26 July 2011, the Court ordered the Congress to pass legislation giving same-sex couples similar rights to marriage within two years (by 20 June 2013). The law was defeated. In April 2016, the Colombian Constitutional Court voted 6–3 to allow same-sex marriage, with the ruling taking effect immediately.

In 2015, the Colombian Constitutional Court ruled that same-sex couples could adopt children.

Costa Rica

In 2016 the government motioned at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to pass judgement over the rights of same-sex couples. The Court agreed and in 2018 the Court's binding sentence was that Costa Rica (and presumably all the other member states of the Pact of San José) was required to provide same rights to same-sex couples that heterosexual couples enjoy including marriage. Costa Rica's Constitutional Court subsequently ruled that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry, and gave the government a deadline of 26 May 2020, to make legislative changes. As the deadline lapsed without legislative action, same-sex couples were allowed to marry starting 26 May 2020.

Cuba

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Cuba since 27 September 2022, after a majority of voters approved the legalization of same-sex marriage at a referendum two days prior. The Constitution of Cuba prohibited same-sex marriage until 2019, and in May 2019 the government announced plans to legalize same-sex marriage. A draft family code containing provisions allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt was approved by the National Assembly of People's Power on 21 December 2021. The text was under public consultation until 6 June 2022, and was approved by the Assembly on 22 July 2022. The measure was approved by two-thirds of voters in a referendum held on 25 September 2022. President Miguel Díaz-Canel signed the new family code into law on 26 September, and it took effect upon publication in the Official Gazette the following day.