Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 57 countries, but 26 require surgery.

DATE

Right to change legal gender

Legal recognition of a change in gender by permitting a change on an individual's legal documentation.

Summary

31
Legal
31 regions (16%)
Legal
47
Somewhere in between
47 regions (24%)
Somewhere in between
106
Illegal
106 regions (54%)
Illegal
14
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
14 regions (7%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Europe
34%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
17 regions (34%)
Somewhere in between
23 regions (46%)
Illegal
8 regions (16%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
2 regions (4%)
Oceania
7%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (7%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
12 regions (86%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
1 regions (7%)
South America
58%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
7 regions (58%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (8%)
Illegal
3 regions (25%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
1 regions (8%)
North America
9%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (9%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (9%)
Illegal
16 regions (70%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
3 regions (13%)
Africa
2%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (2%)
Somewhere in between
5 regions (9%)
Illegal
44 regions (82%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
4 regions (7%)
Asia
7%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (7%)
Somewhere in between
16 regions (36%)
Illegal
23 regions (52%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
2 regions (5%)

Timeline of right to change legal gender

Number of countries to allow changing legal gender over the past 34 years.

Recent Changes

2025

2024

2023

Right to change legal gender by Country

Legal, no restrictions

Right to change legal gender is legal, no restrictions in 31 regions.

  1. Asia (3)
  2. Nepal 2024
  3. Pakistan 2023
  4. South Korea 2020
  5. Europe (17)
  6. Andorra 2023
  7. Belgium 2018
  8. Cyprus 2022
  9. Denmark 2014
  10. Finland 2023
  11. France 2018
  12. Germany 2024
  13. Greece 2017
  14. Iceland 2019
  15. Ireland 2015
  16. Luxembourg 2018
  17. Malta 2015
  18. Norway 2016
  19. Portugal 2018
  20. Spain 2022
  21. Sweden 2025
  22. Switzerland 2022
  23. North America (2)
  24. Canada 2017
  25. Costa Rica 2018
  26. Africa (1)
  27. Botswana 2017
  28. Oceania (1)
  29. New Zealand 2023
  30. South America (7)
  31. Argentina 2012
  32. Bolivia 2016
  33. Brazil 2018
  34. Chile 2019
  35. Colombia 2015
  36. Ecuador 2016
  37. Uruguay 2009

Legal, but requires medical diagnosis

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires medical diagnosis in 21 regions.

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Bhutan 2019
  3. Israel 2014
  4. Sri Lanka 2016
  5. Uzbekistan 1998
  6. Europe (14)
  7. Austria 2009
  8. Belarus 2010
  9. Croatia 2014
  10. Czechia 2025
  11. Estonia 1999
  12. Italy 2015
  13. Lithuania 2022
  14. Moldova 2001
  15. Netherlands 2013
  16. Poland 2025
  17. Serbia 2019
  18. Slovenia 2005
  19. Ukraine 2016
  20. United Kingdom 2005
  21. Africa (3)
  22. Eswatini 1984
  23. Lesotho 1975
  24. South Africa 2004

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 26 regions.

  1. Asia (12)
  2. China 1986
  3. India 2019
  4. Indonesia 1973
  5. Iran 1987
  6. Japan 2022
  7. Kazakhstan 2011
  8. Lebanon 2016
  9. Mongolia 2009
  10. Singapore 1973
  11. Taiwan 2008
  12. Tajikistan 1972
  13. Vietnam 2017
  14. Europe (9)
  15. Armenia 1972
  16. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2012
  17. Kosovo 2019
  18. Latvia 2012
  19. Montenegro 2008
  20. North Macedonia 2019
  21. Romania 1996
  22. Slovakia 2023
  23. Turkey 1988
  24. North America (2)
  25. Cuba 2008
  26. Panama 2006
  27. Africa (2)
  28. Namibia 1974
  29. Tunisia 2018
  30. South America (1)
  31. Suriname 2017

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 106 regions.

  1. Asia (23)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Iraq 2024
  6. Jordan
  7. Kuwait
  8. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  9. Laos
  10. Malaysia 2017
  11. Maldives
  12. Myanmar
  13. North Korea
  14. Oman
  15. Palestine
  16. Philippines 2007
  17. Qatar
  18. Saudi Arabia
  19. Syria
  20. Thailand
  21. Timor-Leste 2002
  22. Turkmenistan 1991
  23. United Arab Emirates 2019
  24. Yemen
  25. Europe (8)
  26. Albania
  27. Azerbaijan 1991
  28. Bulgaria 2023
  29. Georgia 2024
  30. Hungary 2020
  31. Russia 2023
  32. San Marino
  33. Vatican City
  34. North America (16)
  35. Antigua and Barbuda
  36. Bahamas
  37. Barbados
  38. Belize
  39. Dominica
  40. Dominican Republic
  41. Grenada
  42. Guatemala
  43. Haiti
  44. Honduras
  45. Jamaica
  46. Nicaragua
  47. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  48. Saint Lucia
  49. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  50. Trinidad and Tobago
  51. Africa (44)
  52. Algeria
  53. Angola
  54. Benin
  55. Burkina Faso
  56. Burundi
  57. Cameroon
  58. Cape Verde
  59. Central African Republic
  60. Chad
  61. Comoros
  62. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  63. Djibouti
  64. Egypt 2024
  65. Equatorial Guinea
  66. Eritrea
  67. Ethiopia
  68. Gabon
  69. Gambia
  70. Ghana
  71. Guinea
  72. Guinea-Bissau
  73. Liberia
  74. Libya
  75. Madagascar
  76. Malawi 2015
  77. Mali
  78. Mauritania
  79. Mauritius
  80. Morocco
  81. Niger
  82. Nigeria
  83. Republic of the Congo
  84. Rwanda
  85. Sao Tome and Principe
  86. Senegal
  87. Seychelles
  88. Sierra Leone
  89. Somalia
  90. South Sudan
  91. Sudan
  92. Tanzania
  93. Togo
  94. Zambia
  95. Zimbabwe
  96. Oceania (12)
  97. Federated States of Micronesia
  98. Fiji
  99. Kiribati
  100. Marshall Islands
  101. Nauru
  102. Palau
  103. Papua New Guinea
  104. Samoa
  105. Solomon Islands
  106. Tonga
  107. Tuvalu
  108. Vanuatu
  109. South America (3)
  110. Guyana
  111. Paraguay
  112. Venezuela 1998

Varied, unclear, or unknown laws

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 14 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Bahrain Ambiguous
  3. Bangladesh Ambiguous
  4. Europe (2)
  5. Liechtenstein Ambiguous
  6. Monaco Ambiguous
  7. North America (3)
  8. El Salvador Ambiguous
  9. Mexico Varies by Region
  10. United States Varies by Region
  11. Africa (4)
  12. Côte d’Ivoire Ambiguous
  13. Kenya Ambiguous
  14. Mozambique Ambiguous
  15. Uganda Ambiguous
  16. Oceania (1)
  17. Australia Varies by Region
  18. South America (1)
  19. Peru Ambiguous
  20. Antarctica (1)
  21. Antarctica N/A

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