Same-Sex Relationships Have Become Legal in Two-Thirds of Countries

Using data from researcher Jean-François Mignot, the chart above shows that in the late 18th century, same-sex intimacy was legal in only around two dozen countries, including France, Japan, and the Russian Empire.

While the Russian Empire made same-sex relationships illegal in 1832, several dozen countries, especially in Latin America, legalized them over the 19th and early 20th centuries.

After setbacks in the 1930s, legalization returned in the 1960s, particularly in Western Europe. Progress accelerated in the 1990s, starting with Eastern Europe. By 2020, same-sex sexual acts were legal in 133 countries out of the 202 studied by Mignot.

The trends are even more positive when we look at the number of people living in countries where same-sex relationships are legal, as they have become recognized in populous countries like China and India.

You can look at the status of each country over time on our interactive map.