Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 60 countries, but 29 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
50
Somewhere in between
50 regions (25%)
Somewhere in between
104
Illegal
104 regions (53%)
Illegal
13
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
13 regions (7%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Europe
32%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
16 regions (32%)
Somewhere in between
24 regions (48%)
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
6 regions (11%)
Illegal
43 regions (80%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
4 regions (7%)
Asia
9%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
4 regions (9%)
Somewhere in between
17 regions (39%)
Illegal
22 regions (50%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
1 regions (2%)

Timeline of right to change legal gender

Number of countries to allow changing legal gender over the past 44 years.

Recent & Upcoming Changes

Upcoming Changes

2024

2023

2022

Right to change legal gender by Country

Legal, no restrictions

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

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Bangladesh 2013
  3. Nepal 2015
  4. Pakistan 2023
  5. South Korea 2020
  6. Europe (16)
  7. Andorra 2023
  8. Belgium 2018
  9. Cyprus 2022
  10. Denmark 2014
  11. Finland 2023
  12. France 2018
  13. Germany 2024
  14. Greece 2017
  15. Iceland 2019
  16. Ireland 2015
  17. Luxembourg 2018
  18. Malta 2015
  19. Norway 2016
  20. Portugal 2018
  21. Spain 2022
  22. Switzerland 2022
  23. North America (2)
  24. Canada 2012
  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 2018

Legal, but requires medical diagnosis

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

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Bhutan
  3. Israel 2014
  4. Sri Lanka 2016
  5. Uzbekistan 1998
  6. Europe (14)
  7. Austria 2009
  8. Belarus 2010
  9. Croatia 2014
  10. Estonia 1999
  11. Italy 2015
  12. Lithuania 2022
  13. Moldova 2001
  14. Netherlands 2013
  15. Poland 1995
  16. Serbia 2019
  17. Slovenia 2005
  18. Sweden 2013
  19. Ukraine 2016
  20. United Kingdom 2005
  21. Africa (3)
  22. Eswatini 1983
  23. Lesotho 1973
  24. South Africa 2004

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 29 regions.

  1. Asia (13)
  2. China 1986
  3. India 2019
  4. Indonesia 1973
  5. Iran 1987
  6. Japan 2022
  7. Jordan 2014
  8. Kazakhstan 2011
  9. Lebanon 2016
  10. Mongolia 2009
  11. Singapore 1996
  12. Taiwan 2008
  13. Tajikistan 1972
  14. Vietnam 2017
  15. Europe (10)
  16. Armenia 1972
  17. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  18. Czech Republic 1975
  19. Kosovo 2019
  20. Latvia 2012
  21. Montenegro 2008
  22. North Macedonia 2019
  23. Romania 1996
  24. Slovakia 2023
  25. Turkey 2017
  26. North America (2)
  27. Cuba 2008
  28. Panama 2006
  29. Africa (3)
  30. Egypt
  31. Namibia 1963
  32. Tunisia 2018
  33. South America (1)
  34. Suriname 2017

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 104 regions.

  1. Asia (22)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Iraq 2024
  6. Kuwait
  7. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  8. Laos
  9. Malaysia 2017
  10. Maldives
  11. Myanmar
  12. North Korea
  13. Oman
  14. Palestine
  15. Philippines 2007
  16. Qatar 1915
  17. Saudi Arabia
  18. Syria
  19. Thailand
  20. Timor-Leste
  21. Turkmenistan 1991
  22. United Arab Emirates 2019
  23. Yemen
  24. Europe (8)
  25. Albania
  26. Azerbaijan 1991
  27. Bulgaria 2023
  28. Georgia 2024
  29. Hungary 2020
  30. Russia 2023
  31. San Marino
  32. Vatican City
  33. North America (16)
  34. Antigua and Barbuda
  35. Bahamas
  36. Barbados
  37. Belize
  38. Dominica
  39. Dominican Republic
  40. Grenada
  41. Guatemala
  42. Haiti
  43. Honduras
  44. Jamaica
  45. Nicaragua
  46. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  47. Saint Lucia
  48. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  49. Trinidad and Tobago
  50. Africa (43)
  51. Algeria
  52. Angola
  53. Benin
  54. Burkina Faso
  55. Burundi
  56. Cameroon
  57. Cape Verde
  58. Central African Republic
  59. Chad
  60. Comoros
  61. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  62. Djibouti
  63. Equatorial Guinea
  64. Eritrea
  65. Ethiopia
  66. Gabon
  67. Gambia
  68. Ghana
  69. Guinea
  70. Guinea-Bissau
  71. Liberia
  72. Libya
  73. Madagascar
  74. Malawi 2015
  75. Mali
  76. Mauritania
  77. Mauritius
  78. Morocco
  79. Niger
  80. Nigeria
  81. Republic of the Congo
  82. Rwanda
  83. Sao Tome and Principe
  84. Senegal
  85. Seychelles
  86. Sierra Leone
  87. Somalia
  88. South Sudan
  89. Sudan
  90. Tanzania
  91. Togo
  92. Zambia
  93. Zimbabwe
  94. Oceania (12)
  95. Federated States of Micronesia
  96. Fiji
  97. Kiribati
  98. Marshall Islands
  99. Nauru
  100. Palau
  101. Papua New Guinea
  102. Samoa
  103. Solomon Islands
  104. Tonga
  105. Tuvalu
  106. Vanuatu
  107. South America (3)
  108. Guyana
  109. Paraguay
  110. Venezuela 1998

Varied, unclear, or unknown laws

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 13 regions.

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

Spot an error? Visit the region and select "Accurate?: No" so Equaldex's editors can review it.