Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 66 countries, but 32 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
53
Somewhere in between
53 regions (27%)
Somewhere in between
97
Illegal
97 regions (49%)
Illegal
14
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
14 regions (7%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Europe
32%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
16 regions (32%)
Somewhere in between
25 regions (50%)
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
67%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
8 regions (67%)
Somewhere in between
1 regions (8%)
Illegal
3 regions (25%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
regions (0%)
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
2%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
1 regions (2%)
Somewhere in between
7 regions (13%)
Illegal
41 regions (76%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
5 regions (9%)
Asia
11%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Legal
5 regions (11%)
Somewhere in between
18 regions (41%)
Illegal
19 regions (43%)
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 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 (16)
  8. Andorra 2023
  9. Belgium 2018
  10. Cyprus 2022
  11. Denmark 2014
  12. Finland 2023
  13. France 2018
  14. Germany 2024
  15. Greece 2017
  16. Iceland 2019
  17. Ireland 2015
  18. Luxembourg 2018
  19. Malta 2015
  20. Norway 2016
  21. Portugal 2018
  22. Spain 2022
  23. Switzerland 2022
  24. North America (3)
  25. Canada 2017
  26. Costa Rica 2018
  27. Mexico 2009
  28. Africa (1)
  29. Botswana 2017
  30. Oceania (1)
  31. New Zealand 2023
  32. South America (8)
  33. Argentina 2012
  34. Bolivia 2016
  35. Brazil 2018
  36. Chile 2019
  37. Colombia 2015
  38. Ecuador 2016
  39. Peru 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. Croatia 2014
  10. Estonia 1999
  11. Italy 2015
  12. Lithuania 2022
  13. Moldova
  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 32 regions.

  1. Asia (14)
  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. Vietnam 2017
  16. Europe (11)
  17. Armenia 1972
  18. Azerbaijan 1972
  19. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  20. Czech Republic 1975
  21. Kosovo 1989
  22. Latvia 2012
  23. Montenegro
  24. North Macedonia 2019
  25. Romania 1996
  26. Slovakia 2023
  27. Turkey 2017
  28. North America (2)
  29. Cuba 2008
  30. Panama 1972
  31. Africa (4)
  32. Egypt
  33. Malawi 2010
  34. Namibia
  35. Tunisia 2018
  36. South America (1)
  37. Suriname 2017

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 97 regions.

  1. Asia (19)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Iraq 2024
  6. Kuwait
  7. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  8. Malaysia 2017
  9. Maldives
  10. Myanmar
  11. North Korea
  12. Oman
  13. Philippines 2007
  14. Qatar 1915
  15. Saudi Arabia
  16. Thailand
  17. Timor-Leste
  18. Turkmenistan
  19. United Arab Emirates 2019
  20. Yemen
  21. Europe (7)
  22. Albania 2009
  23. Bulgaria 2023
  24. Georgia 2024
  25. Hungary 2020
  26. Russia 2023
  27. San Marino
  28. Vatican City
  29. North America (16)
  30. Antigua and Barbuda
  31. Bahamas
  32. Barbados
  33. Belize
  34. Dominica
  35. Dominican Republic
  36. Grenada
  37. Guatemala
  38. Haiti
  39. Honduras
  40. Jamaica
  41. Nicaragua
  42. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  43. Saint Lucia
  44. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  45. Trinidad and Tobago
  46. Africa (41)
  47. Algeria
  48. Angola
  49. Benin
  50. Burkina Faso
  51. Burundi
  52. Cameroon
  53. Cape Verde
  54. Central African Republic
  55. Chad
  56. Comoros
  57. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  58. Djibouti
  59. Equatorial Guinea
  60. Eritrea
  61. Ethiopia
  62. Gabon
  63. Gambia
  64. Ghana
  65. Guinea
  66. Guinea-Bissau
  67. Liberia
  68. Libya
  69. Madagascar
  70. Mali
  71. Mauritania
  72. Mauritius
  73. Morocco
  74. Niger
  75. Nigeria
  76. Republic of the Congo
  77. Rwanda
  78. Sao Tome and Principe
  79. Senegal
  80. Seychelles
  81. Sierra Leone
  82. Somalia
  83. South Sudan
  84. Sudan
  85. Tanzania
  86. Togo
  87. Zimbabwe 1986
  88. Oceania (11)
  89. Federated States of Micronesia
  90. Fiji
  91. Kiribati
  92. Marshall Islands
  93. Nauru
  94. Palau
  95. Papua New Guinea
  96. Solomon Islands
  97. Tonga
  98. Tuvalu
  99. Vanuatu
  100. South America (3)
  101. Guyana
  102. Paraguay
  103. Venezuela

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. Palestine Ambiguous
  4. Europe (2)
  5. Liechtenstein Ambiguous
  6. Monaco Ambiguous
  7. North America (2)
  8. El Salvador Ambiguous
  9. United States Varies by Region
  10. Africa (5)
  11. Côte d’Ivoire Ambiguous
  12. Kenya Ambiguous
  13. Mozambique Ambiguous
  14. Uganda Ambiguous
  15. Zambia Ambiguous
  16. Oceania (2)
  17. Australia Varies by Region
  18. Samoa 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.