Of the 69 countries that still criminalize homosexuality, over half of them are in Africa (as of 2021). Here are the numbers behind the ongoing fight for legalizing homosexuality…
While it may be shocking that so many countries still have laws on the books that criminalize homosexuality to some extent, progress is being made. Every year more countries eliminate these laws and deem homosexuality to be completely legal. Sometimes progress is slower than we would like, but it is still being made.
How Many Countries is it Illegal to be gay?
It’s currently illegal to be gay in 69 countries as of 2021, but this number is gradually shrinking.
Where is it illegal to be gay?
The vast majority of countries where it is illegal to be gay are in Africa and the Middle East. There are varying degrees of laws on the books. In some countries you can be temporarily jailed, in others you can be permanently jailed. In around 10 countries with the harshest laws against homosexuality on the books you can still be executed for being gay…
The global trend is firmly in favor of decriminalizing and legalizing same-sex acts. 28 countries in the world acknowledge same-sex marriage. 34 countries provide some form of partnership recognition. 81 countries have laws against workplace discriminations on the basis of sexual orientation. This is a large increase from just 20 years ago.
Here are the countries where it is still illegal to be gay:
- Algeria
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Burundi
- Cameroon
- Chad
- Comoros
- Cook Islands
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Iran
- Jamaica
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nigeria
- Occupied Palestinian Territory (Gaza Strip)
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Qatar
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and The Grenadines
- Samoa
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
