Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 65 countries, but 31 require surgery.

DATE

Right to change legal gender

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

Summary

34
Legal
34 regions (17%)
Legal
52
Somewhere in between
52 regions (26%)
Somewhere in between
94
Illegal
94 regions (48%)
Illegal
17
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
17 regions (9%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Europe
34%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
17 regions (34%)
Somewhere in between
24 regions (48%)
Illegal
7 regions (14%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
2 regions (4%)
Oceania
7%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (7%)
Somewhere in between
regions (0%)
Illegal
11 regions (79%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
2 regions (14%)
South America
50%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
6 regions (50%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (17%)
Illegal
3 regions (25%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
1 regions (8%)
North America
13%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
3 regions (13%)
Somewhere in between
2 regions (9%)
Illegal
16 regions (70%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
2 regions (9%)
Africa
4%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
2 regions (4%)
Somewhere in between
5 regions (9%)
Illegal
40 regions (76%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
6 regions (11%)
Asia
11%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
5 regions (11%)
Somewhere in between
19 regions (43%)
Illegal
17 regions (39%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
3 regions (7%)

Timeline of right to change legal gender

Number of countries to allow changing legal gender over the past 61 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 34 regions.

  1. Asia (5)
  2. Bangladesh 2013
  3. Nepal 2015
  4. Pakistan 2023
  5. South Korea 2020
  6. Taiwan 2021
  7. Europe (17)
  8. Andorra 2023
  9. Belgium 2018
  10. Croatia 2014
  11. Cyprus 2022
  12. Denmark 2014
  13. Finland 2023
  14. France 2018
  15. Germany 2024
  16. Greece 2017
  17. Iceland 2019
  18. Ireland 2015
  19. Luxembourg 2018
  20. Malta 2015
  21. Norway 2016
  22. Portugal 2018
  23. Spain 2022
  24. Switzerland 2022
  25. North America (3)
  26. Canada 2017
  27. Costa Rica 2018
  28. Mexico 2009
  29. Africa (2)
  30. Botswana 2017
  31. Mozambique 2004
  32. Oceania (1)
  33. New Zealand 2023
  34. South America (6)
  35. Argentina 2012
  36. Brazil 2018
  37. Chile 2019
  38. Colombia 2015
  39. Ecuador 2016
  40. 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. Estonia 1999
  10. Italy 2015
  11. Lithuania 2022
  12. Moldova
  13. Netherlands 2013
  14. Poland 1995
  15. Serbia 2019
  16. Slovakia 2023
  17. Slovenia 2005
  18. Sweden 2013
  19. Ukraine 2016
  20. United Kingdom 2005
  21. Africa (1)
  22. South Africa 2004
  23. South America (2)
  24. Bolivia 2016
  25. Peru 2016

Legal, but requires surgery

Right to change legal gender is legal, but requires surgery in 31 regions.

  1. Asia (15)
  2. China 1986
  3. India 2019
  4. Indonesia 1973
  5. Iran 1987
  6. Japan 2022
  7. Jordan
  8. Kazakhstan 2011
  9. Laos 2009
  10. Lebanon 2016
  11. Mongolia 2009
  12. Singapore 1996
  13. Syria 2004
  14. Tajikistan
  15. Turkmenistan 1972
  16. Vietnam 2017
  17. Europe (10)
  18. Armenia 1972
  19. Azerbaijan 1972
  20. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  21. Czech Republic 1975
  22. Kosovo 1989
  23. Latvia 2012
  24. Montenegro
  25. North Macedonia 2019
  26. Romania 1996
  27. Turkey 2017
  28. North America (2)
  29. Cuba 2008
  30. Panama 1972
  31. Africa (4)
  32. Egypt
  33. Namibia
  34. Tunisia 2018
  35. Zimbabwe 1986

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 94 regions.

  1. Asia (17)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Iraq 2024
  6. Kuwait
  7. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  8. Maldives
  9. Myanmar
  10. North Korea
  11. Oman
  12. Philippines 2007
  13. Qatar 1915
  14. Saudi Arabia
  15. Thailand
  16. Timor-Leste
  17. United Arab Emirates 2019
  18. Yemen
  19. Europe (7)
  20. Albania 2009
  21. Bulgaria 2023
  22. Georgia 2024
  23. Hungary 2020
  24. Russia 2023
  25. San Marino
  26. Vatican City
  27. North America (16)
  28. Bahamas
  29. Barbados
  30. Belize
  31. Dominica
  32. Dominican Republic
  33. El Salvador 2017
  34. Grenada
  35. Guatemala
  36. Haiti
  37. Honduras
  38. Jamaica
  39. Nicaragua
  40. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  41. Saint Lucia
  42. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  43. Trinidad and Tobago
  44. Africa (40)
  45. Algeria
  46. Benin
  47. Burkina Faso
  48. Burundi
  49. Cameroon
  50. Cape Verde
  51. Central African Republic
  52. Chad
  53. Comoros
  54. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  55. Djibouti
  56. Equatorial Guinea
  57. Eritrea
  58. Eswatini
  59. Ethiopia
  60. Gabon
  61. Gambia
  62. Ghana
  63. Guinea
  64. Guinea-Bissau
  65. Liberia
  66. Libya
  67. Madagascar
  68. Malawi
  69. Mauritania
  70. Mauritius
  71. Morocco
  72. Niger
  73. Nigeria
  74. Republic of the Congo
  75. Rwanda
  76. Sao Tome and Principe
  77. Senegal
  78. Seychelles
  79. Sierra Leone
  80. Somalia
  81. South Sudan
  82. Sudan
  83. Tanzania
  84. Togo
  85. Oceania (11)
  86. Federated States of Micronesia
  87. Fiji
  88. Kiribati
  89. Marshall Islands
  90. Nauru
  91. Palau
  92. Papua New Guinea
  93. Solomon Islands
  94. Tonga
  95. Tuvalu
  96. Vanuatu
  97. South America (3)
  98. Guyana
  99. Paraguay
  100. Venezuela

Varied, unclear, or unknown laws

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 17 regions.

  1. Asia (3)
  2. Bahrain Ambiguous
  3. Malaysia Ambiguous
  4. Palestine Ambiguous
  5. Europe (2)
  6. Liechtenstein Ambiguous
  7. Monaco Ambiguous
  8. North America (2)
  9. Antigua and Barbuda
  10. United States Varies by Region
  11. Africa (6)
  12. Angola Ambiguous
  13. Côte d’Ivoire Ambiguous
  14. Kenya Ambiguous
  15. Lesotho Ambiguous
  16. Uganda Ambiguous
  17. Zambia Ambiguous
  18. Oceania (2)
  19. Australia Varies by Region
  20. Samoa Ambiguous
  21. South America (1)
  22. Suriname Ambiguous
  23. Antarctica (1)
  24. Antarctica N/A

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