Right to change legal gender

You can change your legal gender in 58 countries, but 28 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

30
Legal
30 regions (15%)
Legal
49
Somewhere in between
49 regions (25%)
Somewhere in between
105
Illegal
105 regions (53%)
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
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
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
17 regions (39%)
Illegal
22 regions (50%)
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 44 years.

Recent & Upcoming Changes

Upcoming Changes

2025

2024

2023

Right to change legal gender by Country

Legal, no restrictions

Right to change legal gender is legal, no restrictions in 30 regions.

  1. Asia (3)
  2. Nepal 2024
  3. Pakistan 2023
  4. South Korea 2020
  5. Europe (16)
  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. Switzerland 2022
  22. North America (2)
  23. Canada 2017
  24. Costa Rica 2018
  25. Africa (1)
  26. Botswana 2017
  27. Oceania (1)
  28. New Zealand 2023
  29. South America (7)
  30. Argentina 2012
  31. Bolivia 2016
  32. Brazil 2018
  33. Chile 2019
  34. Colombia 2015
  35. Ecuador 2016
  36. 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. 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 28 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 2012
  18. Czechia 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 (2)
  30. Namibia 1963
  31. Tunisia 2018
  32. South America (1)
  33. Suriname 2017

Illegal

Right to change legal gender is illegal in 105 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
  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 (44)
  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. Egypt 2024
  64. Equatorial Guinea
  65. Eritrea
  66. Ethiopia
  67. Gabon
  68. Gambia
  69. Ghana
  70. Guinea
  71. Guinea-Bissau
  72. Liberia
  73. Libya
  74. Madagascar
  75. Malawi 2015
  76. Mali
  77. Mauritania
  78. Mauritius
  79. Morocco
  80. Niger
  81. Nigeria
  82. Republic of the Congo
  83. Rwanda
  84. Sao Tome and Principe
  85. Senegal
  86. Seychelles
  87. Sierra Leone
  88. Somalia
  89. South Sudan
  90. Sudan
  91. Tanzania
  92. Togo
  93. Zambia
  94. Zimbabwe
  95. Oceania (12)
  96. Federated States of Micronesia
  97. Fiji
  98. Kiribati
  99. Marshall Islands
  100. Nauru
  101. Palau
  102. Papua New Guinea
  103. Samoa
  104. Solomon Islands
  105. Tonga
  106. Tuvalu
  107. Vanuatu
  108. South America (3)
  109. Guyana
  110. Paraguay
  111. 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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