⚠️ Unconfirmedsocial2024
Legality of same‑sex sexual activity (country legal status)
Share of countries where consensual same‑sex sexual activity is legal, based on ILGA World’s 2024 State‑Sponsored Homophobia dataset.
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Key Insights
Global Average
0.5status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
0Countries Covered
177
with available data
Highest
Bulgaria
1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
Lowest
Brunei Darussalam
0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
Top 5 Countries
1Bulgaria1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
2Burundi1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
3Canada1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
4Cape Verde1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
5Central African Republic1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)
By Region
South America1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)(7 countries)
Oceania1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)(2 countries)
Europe1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)(32 countries)
North America0.8status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)(4 countries)
Other0.4status (1=legal, 0=criminalized)(98 countries)
Key Findings
- •Criminalization of consensual same-sex sexual activity remains present in a substantial minority of countries worldwide as of 2024.
- •Legal status varies sharply by region, reflecting different legal traditions and human-rights frameworks.
- •Decriminalization is a major threshold policy change that can strongly affect safety and access to services, but it does not by itself ensure equal rights.
Country Rankings
Top 10 Countries
Bottom 10 Countries
Data Analysis
Value Distribution
How countries are distributed across the value range
Low (0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized))High (1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized))
Regional Comparison
Average values by world region (Global avg: 0.5status (1=legal, 0=criminalized))
South America (7)
Oceania (2)
Europe (32)
North America (4)
Other (98)
Africa (9)
Asia (25)
About This Statistic
This statistic tracks whether consensual same‑sex sexual activity is legal for adults in each country or territory. It is a simple but powerful snapshot of how criminal law affects LGBTQ+ people’s safety, access to services, and exposure to harassment, arrest, or imprisonment.
ILGA World’s global legal review compiles country-by-country determinations from constitutions, penal codes, court rulings, and other primary legal sources. While it does not capture all forms of discrimination (e.g., employment or family law), criminalization status is a foundational indicator that strongly correlates with broader human-rights conditions.
Full Data
| Rank ↑ | Country ↕ | Value ↕ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bulgaria | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 2 | Burundi | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 3 | Canada | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 4 | Cape Verde | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 5 | Central African Republic | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 6 | Chile | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 7 | Colombia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 8 | Comoros | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 9 | Costa Rica | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 10 | Croatia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 11 | Cuba | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 12 | Cyprus | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 13 | Czech Republic | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 14 | Denmark | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 15 | Dominica | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 16 | Dominican Republic | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 17 | Ecuador | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 18 | Estonia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 19 | Faroe Islands | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 20 | Fiji | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 21 | Finland | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 22 | France | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 23 | Georgia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 24 | Germany | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 25 | Greece | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 26 | Hungary | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 27 | Iceland | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 28 | Ireland | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 29 | Italy | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 30 | Jamaica | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 31 | Japan | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 32 | South Korea | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 33 | Lesotho | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 34 | Latvia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 35 | Lithuania | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 36 | Luxembourg | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 37 | Malta | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 38 | Mauritius | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 39 | Mexico | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 40 | Namibia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 41 | Netherlands | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 42 | New Caledonia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 43 | Vanuatu | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 44 | New Zealand | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 45 | Norway | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 46 | Panama | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 47 | Papua New Guinea | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 48 | Paraguay | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 49 | Peru | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 50 | Poland | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 51 | Portugal | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 52 | Timor-Leste | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 53 | Russian Federation | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 54 | Rwanda | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 55 | Serbia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 56 | Seychelles | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 57 | Slovakia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 58 | Slovenia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 59 | South Africa | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 60 | Spain | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 61 | Suriname | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 62 | Sweden | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 63 | Switzerland | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 64 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 65 | Ukraine | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 66 | United Kingdom | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 67 | United States of America | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 68 | Uruguay | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 69 | Venezuela | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 70 | Afghanistan | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 71 | Algeria | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 72 | Angola | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 73 | Argentina | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 74 | Australia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 75 | Austria | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 76 | Bahamas | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 77 | Barbados | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 78 | Belgium | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 79 | Bhutan | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 80 | Bolivia | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 81 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 82 | Botswana | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 83 | Brazil | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 84 | Belize | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 85 | Solomon Islands | 1.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 86 | Myanmar | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 87 | Belarus | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 88 | Cambodia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 89 | Cameroon | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 90 | Cayman Islands | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 91 | Sri Lanka | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 92 | Chad | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 93 | People's Republic of China | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 94 | Republic of the Congo | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 95 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 96 | Benin | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 97 | El Salvador | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 98 | Ethiopia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 99 | Eritrea | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 100 | Djibouti | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 101 | Gabon | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 102 | Republic of The Gambia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 103 | State of Palestine | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 104 | Ghana | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 105 | Guatemala | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 106 | Guinea | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 107 | Guyana | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 108 | Haiti | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 109 | Honduras | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 110 | India | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 111 | Indonesia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 112 | Islamic Republic of Iran | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 113 | Iraq | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 114 | Israel | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 115 | Cote d'Ivoire | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 116 | Kazakhstan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 117 | Jordan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 118 | Kenya | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 119 | North Korea | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 120 | Kuwait | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 121 | Kyrgyzstan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 122 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 123 | Lebanon | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 124 | Liberia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 125 | Libya | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 126 | Madagascar | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 127 | Malawi | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 128 | Malaysia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 129 | Maldives | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 130 | Mali | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 131 | Mauritania | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 132 | Mongolia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 133 | Moldova, Republic of | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 134 | Montenegro | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 135 | Morocco | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 136 | Mozambique | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 137 | Oman | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 138 | Nepal | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 139 | Nicaragua | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 140 | Niger | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 141 | Nigeria | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 142 | Pakistan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 143 | Philippines | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 144 | Guinea-Bissau | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 145 | Qatar | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 146 | Romania | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 147 | Saudi Arabia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 148 | Senegal | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 149 | Sierra Leone | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 150 | Singapore | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 151 | Vietnam | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 152 | Somalia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 153 | Zimbabwe | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 154 | South Sudan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 155 | Sudan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 156 | Eswatini | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 157 | Syrian Arab Republic | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 158 | Tajikistan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 159 | Thailand | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 160 | Togo | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 161 | United Arab Emirates | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 162 | Tunisia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 163 | Türkiye | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 164 | Turkmenistan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 165 | Uganda | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 166 | The Republic of North Macedonia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 167 | Egypt | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 168 | United Republic of Tanzania | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 169 | Burkina Faso | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 170 | Uzbekistan | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 171 | Yemen | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 172 | Zambia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 173 | Albania | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 174 | Bahrain | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 175 | Bangladesh | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 176 | Armenia | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
| 177 | Brunei Darussalam | 0.0status (1=legal, 0=criminalized) |
Showing 177 of 177 countries
Topics
Data Source
This data comes from ILGA World (2024).
View Original Source