Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe
Debate has occurred throughout Europe over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as same-sex civil unions. Currently 31 of the 50 countries and the 8 dependent territories in Europe recognise some type of same-sex unions, among them most members of the European Union (23/27).


Part of the LGBT rights series |
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As of September 2021, sixteen European countries legally recognise and perform same-sex marriages: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Same-sex marriage will become legal in Switzerland in July 2022, following a referendum on the issue on 26 September 2021 that passed with 64.1% in favour. An additional thirteen European countries legally recognise some form of civil union, namely Andorra, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, San Marino, and Slovenia.
Poland and Slovakia recognise private contractual cohabitation of two persons (regardless of sexual orientation or relationship type - including non-sexual non-intimate relationships) for limited purposes. Although they do not recognise same-sex unions themselves, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania, are bound by a ruling by the European Court of Justice to recognise same-sex marriages performed within the EU and including an EU citizen for the purposes of granting legal residence,[1] though this ruling is not always respected in practice, as in the case of Romania which has not implemented the ruling.[2]
Of the countries that perform same-sex marriages, some still allow civil unions, e.g. Benelux countries, France and the United Kingdom,[nb 1] whereas Germany, Ireland and Nordic countries have ended their pre-marriage civil union legislation so that existing unions remain but new ones are not possible.
Several European countries do not recognise any same-sex unions. Marriage is defined as a union solely between a man and a woman in the constitutions of Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Of these, however, Croatia, Hungary, and Montenegro recognise same-sex partnerships, while Armenia[lower-alpha 1][3] recognises same-sex marriages performed abroad.[4]
Current situation
European Court of Human Rights
Over the years, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has handled cases that challenged the lack of legal recognition of same-sex couples in certain member states. The Court has held that the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) requires member states to provide legal recognition, but does not require marriage to be opened to same-sex couples.
In Schalk and Kopf v Austria (24 June 2010), the European Court of Human Rights decided that the European Convention on Human Rights does not oblige member states to legislate for or legally recognise same-sex marriages.[5] However, the Court, for the first time, accepted same-sex relationships as a form of "family life".
In Vallianatos and Others v Greece (7 November 2013),[6] the Court held that exclusion of same-sex couples from registering a civil union, a legal form of partnership available to opposite-sex couples, violates the convention. Greece had enacted a law in 2008 that established civil unions for opposite-sex couples only. A 2015 law extended partnership rights to same-sex couples.
Oliari and Others v Italy (21 July 2015)[7] went further and established a positive obligation upon member states to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples. Italy thus breached the convention; it eventually implemented civil unions in 2016. The decision set a precedent for potential future cases regarding the 23 member states, certain British and Dutch territories, and the states with limited recognition (excluding Kosovo), that currently do not recognise same-sex couples' right to family life.[8]
Chapin and Charpentier v France (9 June 2016) largely confirmed Schalk and Kopf v. Austria, holding that denying a same-sex couple access to marriage does not violate the convention.[9] At the time of the judgment, France did allow same-sex marriage, however, the case originated from 2004, when only pacte civil de solidarité (PACS) was available to same-sex couples in France.
European Union
Some debate occurred within the European Union about how to require member states to recognise same-sex marriages conducted in other member states, as well as any European citizens' civil unions or registered partnerships, so as to ensure the right of freedom of movement for citizens' family members.[10]
In 2010, Romanian LGBT activist Adrian Coman and his American partner, Robert Claibourn Hamilton, married in Belgium, and subsequently attempted to relocate to Romania. Romanian authorities refused to recognise their marriage and the case progressed to the European Court of Justice.[11] On 11 January 2018, the ECJ's advocate general, Melchior Wathelet, issued an official legal opinion stating that an EU member country cannot refuse residency rights to the same-sex spouse of an EU citizen on the grounds that it does not recognise same-sex marriage.[12]
On 5 June 2018, the ECJ ruled in Coman's favour, stating the term "spouse" was gender-neutral, and member states are therefore obliged to recognise EU residency rights for partners of EU citizens. However, the court confirmed that it will still be up to member states whether to authorise same-sex marriage.[13][1]
According to research from the European Parliament, some EU states still do not in practice grant residency to same-sex spouses, as required by Coman v. Romania. As of September 2021, Hamilton himself has not been granted residency by the Romanian government, despite the ruling. In September 2021, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning some states failure to implement the ruling, and calling on the European Commission to ensure rights of same-sex spouses are upheld.[2]
National level
Status | Country | Since | Country population (Last Census count) |
---|---|---|---|
Marriage (17 countries) * In nine countries that have passed marriage, other types of partnerships are available too. ** Not yet in effect. |
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2019[nb 2][14] | 8,504,850 |
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2003[nb 3][15] | 11,198,638 | |
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2012[nb 4][16] | 5,655,750 | |
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2017[nb 5][17][18] | 5,470,820 | |
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2013[nb 6][19] | 66,030,000 | |
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2017[nb 7][20] | 80,716,000 | |
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2010[nb 8][21] | 325,671 | |
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2015[nb 9][22] | 4,609,600 | |
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2015[nb 10][23] | 549,680 | |
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2017[nb 11][24] | 446,547 | |
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2001[nb 12][25][26] | 16,856,620 | |
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2009[nb 13][27] | 5,136,700 | |
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2010[nb 14][28] | 10,427,301 | |
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2005[nb 15][29] | 46,704,314 | |
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2009[nb 16][30] | 10,161,797 | |
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2022[nb 17][31] | 8,183,800 | |
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2020[nb 18][32][33][34] | 67,647,579 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 348,625,667 (46.70% of the European population) |
Recognition of foreign marriage (1 country - also recognizes civil unions) |
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2016[35] | 1,315,819 |
Subtotal | — | — | 1,315,819 (0.18% of the European population) |
Civil unions (12 countries) * In four of the countries that have passed civil unions, another type of partnership is available too. |
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2005[nb 19][36] | 85,082 |
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2014[nb 20][37] | 4,284,889 | |
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2006[nb 21][38] | 10,513,209 | |
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2015[39] | 1,117,000[nb 23] | |
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2015[40] | 10,816,286 | |
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2009[nb 24][41] | 9,877,365 | |
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2016[nb 25][42] | 60,782,668 | |
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2011[43] | 37,132 | |
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2020[44] | 36,371 | |
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2021[45] | 647,905 | |
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2019[nb 26][46] | 32,570 | |
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2006[nb 27][47][48] | 2,061,085 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 100,291,562 (13.44% of the European population) |
Unregistered cohabitation (2 countries) |
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2018[nb 28][49][50] | 5,415,949 |
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2012[51] | 38,483,957 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 43,899,906 (5.08% of the European population) |
Total | — | — | 494,132,954 (66.18% of the European population) |
No recognition (8 countries) * As part of the European Union, is legally bound to recognize foreign same-sex unions in compliance with case C-673/16 of the European Court of Justice. |
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— | 3,020,209 |
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— | 9,494,600 | |
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— | 3,871,643 | |
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— | 17,948,816 | |
![]() |
— | 2,058,539 | |
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— | 19,942,642 | |
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— | 76,667,864 | |
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— | 842 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 133,005,155 (17.81% of the European population) |
Constitutional ban on marriage (14 countries) * As part of the European Union, is legally bound to recognize foreign same-sex unions in compliance with case C-673/16 of the European Court of Justice. ** Other types of partnerships are available. |
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2015[nb 29][52] | 3,018,854 |
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1994[53] | 9,475,100 | |
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1991[54] | 7,364,570 | |
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2013[55][56] | 4,284,889 | |
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2018[57] | 4,935,880 | |
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2012[58][59] | 9,877,365 | |
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2006[60][61] | 1,990,300 | |
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1992[62] | 2,944,459 | |
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1994[63] | 3,557,600 | |
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2007[64] | 647,905 | |
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2020 | 143,700,000 | |
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2006[65] | 7,209,764 | |
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2014[66][67] | 5,415,949 | |
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1996[68] | 44,291,413 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 248,714,048 (33.31% of the European population) |
Total | — | — | 381,719,203 (51.13% of the European population) |
Partially-recognised and unrecognised states
Status | Country | Since | State population (Last estimate count) |
---|---|---|---|
No recognition (5 states) |
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— | 243,564 |
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— | 1,907,592 | |
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— | 313,626 | |
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— | 51,547 | |
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— | 475,665 | |
Subtotal | — | — | 2,991,994 |
Constitutional ban on marriage (1 state) |
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2006[nb 30][69] | 150,932 |
Subtotal | — | — | 150,932 |
Total | — | — | 3,142,926 |
Sub-national level
Status | Country | Jurisdiction | Legal since | Jurisdiction population (Last Census count) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Marriage (8 jurisdictions) * Other types of partnerships are available too. |
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2017[70][71] | 49,198 |
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2016[72] | 56,081 | ||
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2014[73] | 15,700 | |
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2018[74] | 2,020 | ||
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2016[75][76] | 32,194 | ||
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2017[77][78] | 62,948 | ||
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2016[79] | 84,497 | ||
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2018[80] | 100,080 | ||
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2020[81] | 600 | ||
Total | 403,318
(0.05% of the European population) |
Future legislation
Government proposals or proposals with a parliamentary majority
Andorra: On 10 March 2020, the three parties forming the governing coalition, the Democrats, the Liberal Party and Committed Citizens, presented the draft of a bill to legalise same-sex marriage.[82][83][84] After consultation with the Bar Association and the Superior Council of Justice (CSJ), the bill was introduced to the General Council on 24 November 2020. The bill was under public consultation until 13 April 2022,[85] and is expected to pass before the 2022 summer break of the General Council.[86][87]
Liechtenstein: On 29 September 2021, the Landtag held a debate in which the majority of political parties broadly agreed that same-sex marriage should be legalized. They have called for public consultations before legislating on the issue.[88] On 11 March 2022, the government introduced a bill to allow same-sex couples in registered partnerships to adopt each other's step children in accordance with a 2021 court ruling, and said future bills for full marriage equality and joint adoption would have to come from individual MPs.[89]
Opposition proposals
Italy: On 31 March 2022, Senator Alessandra Maiorino of the 5-star movement introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.[90]
Government proposals or proposals with a parliamentary majority
Bosnia and Herzegovina: In October 2018, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced the formation of a working group to examine the legal status of same-sex couples in the Federation, with the ultimate goal of proposing a legal solution for same-sex civil unions. The working group was established in January 2020 and was due to start working in April 2020, but the start was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[91]
Kosovo: On 7 July 2020, Justice Minister Selim Selimi introduced a revised Civil Code that he said included a path to allowing same-sex civil unions, while restricting marriage to opposite-sex couples. If the civil code is passed, a special law for civil unions will be required.[92] The draft Civil Code was rejected by the Assembly on 16 March 2022. It is unclear at present if the bill will be presented for another vote.[93]
Latvia: In February 2022, a Saeima working group directed a draft law allowing civil unions to the parliamentary Legal Commission for consideration. The draft law was created following the Constitutional Court's 2020 judgment on the right of a same-sex couple to a parental leave.[94] On 31 March 2022 it passed its first reading, and requires two further readings before coming into law.[95]
Serbia: In November 2020, Gordana Čomić, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, announced that a law on same-sex partnerships would be brought before parliament in the first half of 2021.[96][97]
Public opinion
Public support for same-sex marriage from EU member states as measured from a 2015 poll is the greatest in the Netherlands (91%), Sweden (90%), Denmark (87%), Spain (84%), Ireland (80%), Belgium (77%), Luxembourg (75%), the United Kingdom (71%) and France (71%).[98] In recent years, support has risen most significantly in Malta, from 18% in 2006 to 65% in 2015 and in Ireland from 41% in 2006 to 80% in 2015.[99]
After the approval of same-sex marriage in Portugal in January 2010, 52% of the Portuguese population stated that they were in favor of the legislation.[100] In 2008, 58% of the Norwegian voters supported same-sex marriage, which was introduced in the same year, and 31 percent were against it.[101] In January 2013, 54.1% of Italians respondents supported same-sex marriage.[102] In a late January 2013 survey, 77.2% of Italians respondents supported the recognition of same-sex unions.[103] According to an Ipsos poll published in 2021, 83% of Italians were in favour of legal recognition for same-sex couples, 10% stated they were against and 7% didn't have a specific position on the issue.[104] 59% of surveyed Italians stated they were in favour of same-sex couples jointly adopting children, while 36% were opposed.[104]
In Greece, support more than tripled between 2006 and 2017. In 2006, 15% of Greeks said that they agreed with same-sex marriage being allowed throughout Europe,[99] rising to 50.04% by 2017. A survey in 2020 indicated that 56% of the Greek population accept same-sex marriage.[105][106]
In Ireland, a 2008 survey revealed 84% of people supported civil unions for same-sex couples (and 58% for same-sex marriage),[107] while a 2010 survey showed 67% supported same-sex marriage[108] by 2012 this figure had risen to 73% in support.[109] On 22 May 2015, 62.1% of the electorate voted to enshrine same-sex marriage in the Irish constitution as equal to heterosexual marriage.
In Croatia, a poll conducted in November 2013 revealed that 59% of Croats think that marriage should be constitutionally defined as a union between a man and a woman, while 31% do not agree with the idea.[110] In Poland, support for same sex marriages has increased from 17% in 2006[111] to 45% in 2019,[112] according to Eurobarometer; other polls show a majority supporting registered partnerships.[113][114]
In the European Union, support tends to be the lowest in Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Lithuania. The average percentage of support for same-sex marriage in the European Union as of 2006 when it had 25 members was 44%, which had descended from a previous percentage of 53%. The change was caused by more socially conservative nations joining the EU.[99] In 2015, with 28 members, average support was at 61%.[98]
Opinion polls
Country | Pollster | Year | For | Against | Neutral[lower-alpha 2] | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Institut d'Estudis Andorrans | 2013 | 70% | 19% | 11% | [115] |
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Pew Research Center | 2015 | 3% | 96% | 1% | [116][117] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 66% | 30% | 4% | [118] |
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Pew Research Center | 2015 | 16% | 81% | 3% | [116][119][117] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 82% | 17% | 1% | [118] |
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Pew Research Center | 2016 | 13% | 84% | 4% | [116][117] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 16% | 74% | 10% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 39% | 55% | 6% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 36% | 60% | 4% | [118] |
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Median agency | 2019 | 67% | - | - | [120] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 89% | 8% | 3% | [118] |
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HumanrightsEE | 2021 | 47% | 46% | 7% | [121] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 76% | 21% | 3% | [118] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 59% | 7% | [122] | |
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Pew Research Center | 2016 | 3% | 95% | 2% | [116][117] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 68% | [122] | ||
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 39% | 56% | 5% | [118] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 46% | 18% | [122] | |
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Gallup | 2004 | 87% | - | - | [123] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 79% | 13% | 8% | [118] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 63% | 30% | 7% | [122] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 24% | 70% | 6% | [118] |
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Liechtenstein Institut | 2021 | 72% | 28% | 0% | [124] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 30% | 63% | 7% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 85% | 9% | 6% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 67% | 25% | 8% | [118] |
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Pew Research Center | 2015 | 5% | 92% | 3% | [116][117] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 92% | 8% | 0% | [118] |
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Pew Research Center | 2017 | 72% | 19% | 9% | [119] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 29% | 22% | [122] | |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 74% | 20% | 6% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 29% | 63% | 8% | [118] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 17% | 52% | [122] | |
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Pew Research Center | 2015 | 12% | 83% | 4% | [116][117] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 20% | 70% | 10% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 62% | 35% | 3% | [118] |
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Eurobarometer | 2019 | 86% | 9% | 5% | [118] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 79% | 3% | [122] | |
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gfs-zürich | 2020 | 81% | 18% | 1% | [125] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 24% | 25% | [122] | |
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Pew Research Center | 2016 | 9% | 85% | 6% | [116][117] |
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Ipsos | 2021 | 68% | 7% | [118] |
Country | Pollster | Year | For | Against | Neutral[lower-alpha 2] | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Spyr.fo | 2019 | 71.1% | 12.6% | 16.7% | [126] |
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Inter-Ministerial Committee Consultation | 2015 | 63% | 37% | 0% | [127] |
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YouGov | 2019 | 55% | - | - | [128][129] |
Notes
- Degree of recognition unknown. No actual cases to date.
- Also comprises: Don't know; No answer; Other; Refused.
See also
Notes
- Excluding Guernsey and Overseas Territories (except Gibraltar).
- Eingetragene Partnerschaft since 2010.
- Cohabitation légale since 1999, also cohabitation de fait gives some rights to non-married couples.
- Registreret partnerskab since 1989 until 2012.
- Rekisteröidystä parisuhteesta since 2001 until 2017.
- Pacte civil de solidarité since 1999.
- Eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft since 2001 until 2017.
- Staðfesta samvist since 1996 until 2010.
- Civil Partnership since 2010 until 2015.
- Partenariat since 2004.
- Civil union since 2014.
- Geregistreerd partnerschap since 1998, also samenwonen gives some rights to non-married couples.
- Registrert partnerskap since 1993 until 2009.
- Uniões de facto since 2001.
- Parejas de hecho available in each autonomous community, legalized between 1998 and 2018. Since 1994, limited rights for cohabiting couples.
- Registrerat partnerskap since 1994 until 2009.
- Eingetragene Partnerschaft since 2004 until 2022.
- Civil Partnership since 2004.
- Stable union since 2005 and civil union since 2014.
- Unregistered cohabitation between 2003 and 2014. Life partnerships životno partnerstvo since 2014.
- Unregistered cohabitation since 2001 and registered partnerships registrované partnerství since 2006. Limited rights for a "close person" (Osoba blízká) since 1964.
- Excluding the disputed region of Northern Cyprus.
- Including the disputed region of Northern Cyprus.
- Unregistered cohabitation élettársi kapcsolat and registered partnerships bejegyzett élettársi kapcsolat since 2009.
- Civil unions and cohabitation agreements since 2016.
- Limited residency rights for foreign spouses since 2012.
- Registrirana partnerska skupnost between 2006 and 2017. Partnership (partnerska zveza) since 2017.
- Limited rights for a "close person" (blízke osoby) since 1964.
- It is not clear if the Constitution of Armenia bans same-sex marriage. Article 35 states that "women and men of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family of their own free will" (in Armenian: Ամուսնական տարիքի հասած կինը և տղամարդը միմյանց հետ իրենց կամքի ազատ արտահայտությամբ ամուսնանալու և ընտանիք կազմելու իրավունք ունեն), but may not restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples. The article 143 of the Family Code recognizes foreign marriages as long as they conform with the legality of the territory where they were celebrated.
- It is not clear if the Constitution of Artsakh bans same-sex marriage. Article 35 states that "women and men of marriageable age have the right to marry and to found a family of their own free will" (in Armenian: Ամուսնական տարիքի հասած կինը և տղամարդը միմյանց հետ իրենց կամքի ազատ արտահայտությամբ ունեն ամուսնանալու և ընտանիք կազմելու իրավունք), but may not restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples. The article 142 of the Family Code recognizes foreign marriages as long as they conform with the legality of the territory where they were celebrated.
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