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
94
Illegal
94 regions (48%)
Illegal
16
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
16 regions (8%)
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
4 regions (33%)
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
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
20 regions (46%)
Illegal
16 regions (36%)
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 32 regions.

  1. Asia (16)
  2. China 1986
  3. India 2019
  4. Indonesia 1973
  5. Iran 1987
  6. Japan 2022
  7. Jordan
  8. Kazakhstan 2011
  9. Kyrgyzstan 2020
  10. Laos 2009
  11. Lebanon 2016
  12. Mongolia 2009
  13. Singapore 1996
  14. Syria 2004
  15. Tajikistan
  16. Turkmenistan 1972
  17. Vietnam 2017
  18. Europe (10)
  19. Armenia 1972
  20. Azerbaijan 1972
  21. Bosnia and Herzegovina
  22. Czech Republic 1975
  23. Kosovo 1989
  24. Latvia 2012
  25. Montenegro
  26. North Macedonia 2019
  27. Romania 1996
  28. Turkey 2017
  29. North America (2)
  30. Cuba 2008
  31. Panama 1972
  32. Africa (4)
  33. Egypt
  34. Namibia
  35. Tunisia 2018
  36. Zimbabwe 1986

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 94 regions.

  1. Asia (16)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Brunei
  4. Cambodia
  5. Iraq 2024
  6. Kuwait
  7. Maldives
  8. Myanmar
  9. North Korea
  10. Oman
  11. Philippines 2007
  12. Qatar 1915
  13. Saudi Arabia
  14. Thailand
  15. Timor-Leste
  16. United Arab Emirates 2019
  17. Yemen
  18. Europe (7)
  19. Albania 2009
  20. Bulgaria 2023
  21. Georgia 2024
  22. Hungary 2020
  23. Russia 2023
  24. San Marino
  25. Vatican City
  26. North America (16)
  27. Bahamas
  28. Barbados
  29. Belize
  30. Dominica
  31. Dominican Republic
  32. El Salvador 2017
  33. Grenada
  34. Guatemala
  35. Haiti
  36. Honduras
  37. Jamaica
  38. Nicaragua
  39. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  40. Saint Lucia
  41. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  42. Trinidad and Tobago
  43. Africa (40)
  44. Algeria
  45. Benin
  46. Burkina Faso
  47. Burundi
  48. Cameroon
  49. Cape Verde
  50. Central African Republic
  51. Chad
  52. Comoros
  53. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  54. Djibouti
  55. Equatorial Guinea
  56. Eritrea
  57. Eswatini
  58. Ethiopia
  59. Gabon
  60. Gambia
  61. Ghana
  62. Guinea
  63. Guinea-Bissau
  64. Liberia
  65. Libya
  66. Madagascar
  67. Malawi
  68. Mauritania
  69. Mauritius
  70. Morocco
  71. Niger
  72. Nigeria
  73. Republic of the Congo
  74. Rwanda
  75. Sao Tome and Principe
  76. Senegal
  77. Seychelles
  78. Sierra Leone
  79. Somalia
  80. South Sudan
  81. Sudan
  82. Tanzania
  83. Togo
  84. Oceania (11)
  85. Federated States of Micronesia
  86. Fiji
  87. Kiribati
  88. Marshall Islands
  89. Nauru
  90. Palau
  91. Papua New Guinea
  92. Solomon Islands
  93. Tonga
  94. Tuvalu
  95. Vanuatu
  96. South America (4)
  97. Guyana
  98. Paraguay
  99. Suriname 2022
  100. Venezuela

Varied, unclear, or unknown laws

Data on right to change legal gender is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 16 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. Antarctica (1)
  22. Antarctica N/A

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