Same-sex marriage is legal in more than 30 countries.
The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to deliver its judgement on pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage. A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Ravindra Bhat, Hima Kohli, and PS Narishma had on May 11 reserved its verdict on the petitions after a marathon hearing of 10 days. The central government is opposing same-sex marriage recognition, calling it an urban elite idea and claiming that Parliament should determine and discuss the subject.
Twenty-three countries across the globe have legalised same-sex marriage after nationwide voting while 10 countries have legalised it through court decisions.
Here is a list of more than 30 countries where marriage equality exists:
- Netherlands: 2001
- Belgium: 2003
- Canada: 2005
- Spain: 2005
- South Africa: 2006
- Norway: 2009
- Sweden: 2009
- Iceland: 2010
- Portugal: 2010
- Argentina: 2010
- Denmark: 2012
- Uruguay: 2013
- New Zealand: 2013
- France: 2013
- Brazil: 2013
- England and Wales: 2014
- Scotland: 2014
- Luxembourg: 2015
- Ireland: 2015
- United States: 2015
- Greenland: 2016
- Colombia: 2016
- Finland: 2017
- Germany: 2017
- Malta: 2017
- Australia: 2017
- Austria: 2019
- Taiwan: 2019
- Ecuador: 2019
- Ireland: 2020
- Costa Rica: 2020
- Switzerland: 2022
- Mexico: 2022
- Chile: 2022
- Slovenia: 2022
- Cuba: 2022
- Andorra: 2023
- Estonia: 2024
The data was sourced from the Human Rights Campaign’s report titled “Marriage Equality Around the World.” According to the organisation, debates on marriage equality are also going on in the Czech Republic, Japan, Philippines and Thailand.