Between same-sex marriage being legalized in England and Wales on March 29, 2014 and December 31, 2022, there have been 55,613 same-sex marriages. Of these, 32,240 same-sex marriages were between two women, and 23,,373 were between two men.

On May 17, 2013, France became the 9th European country and the 14th country in the world to allow gay marriage. Only a few days after the legalization, the first same-sex marriage was celebrated in the southern city of Montpellier. The number of homosexual marriages reached a record number of more than 10,000 unions in 2014. Only a year after the legalization of same-sex marriage, the enthusiasm of couples who were not previously allowed to marry each other was still high. In 2024, approximately 7,000 same-sex marriages were celebrated.

Between 2021 and 2023, support for same-sex marriage declined in 14 out of 23 surveyed countries worldwide. The major drops were seen in Canada and Germany, where the share of respondents agreeing with same-sex marriage went down six percentage points. Still, over 60 percent of respondents in those two countries supported it.

The way to legalization

As of 2021, 30 countries have legalized same-sex marriages, most of them located in Western Europe. Switzerland was the latest to do so after a referendum, while the second to last was Costa Rica, as the only Central American country. While most countries have legalized same-sex marriage through legislation, in South Africa and Taiwan, this was enacted via courts' mandates. Taiwan and South Africa are the first and so far only countries in their continent to have legalized same-sex marriage.

Hostility and criminalization

The support and legalization of same-sex marriages is growing, and the acceptance of homosexuality is slowly but steadily increasing in more hostile countries. In Nigeria, for instance, homosexuality is a crime punishable with the death penalty. Despite a small increase, only seven percent of people believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are still the most dangerous world regions for homosexuals. In fact, 71 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

According to a recent survey, in 2023, around 71 percent of the American population believed same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid. Interestingly enough, this figure changed considerably when taking into account the age group of the respondents. Young people between 18 and 34 years of age, in fact, were the group showing the highest support for same-sex marriage, with 89 percent. On the other hand, 60 percent of the respondents aged 65 years or more thought marriage between same-sex couples should be legally recognized as valid.

In 2022, around 348,300 married male-male couple households were counted in the United States, while the number of unmarried male-male couple households stood at 259,800. In total, there were about 740,500 same sex married couples in the United States in that year.

In 2022, there were 68,900 heterosexual marriages and 1,700 same-sex marriages. By comparison, in 2021 there were 55,200 heterosexual marriages, and 1,200 same-sex marriages. The number of same-sex marriages stayed relatively consistent from 2009 to 2022, with the fewest in 2020 and the most in 2001. The number of heterosexual marriages also remained stable between 2009 and 2019, with the highest in 2002 and the fewest in 2019 as a consequence of the coronavirus (COVID-19) oandemic.

Why were there fewer marriages in 2020?

There was a sudden drop in the number of marriages in the Netherlands in 2020, both for heterosexual and same-sex marriages. The primary reason for the fall in marriages was the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, making it difficult to host a wedding safely and within the restrictions, resulting in many weddings being postponed and canceled. While there were fewer weddings, the number of registered partnerships stayed relatively the same, possibly because they are less likely to host large gatherings of people than a traditional wedding.

How did the Netherlands compare to the rest of Europe?

The Netherlands was not the only country to experience a significant drop in marriages in Europe. Other European countries such as Italy, Norway, and France saw considerable declines in the number of weddings in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and each government’s restrictions.

This survey shows the opinion on legalization of same-sex marriages in the United States from 1996 to 2023. In 1996, 27 percent of respondents agreed that same-sex marriages should be recognized by law as valid with the same rights as traditional marriages. In 2023, 71 percent state that same-sex marriages should be recognized as valid, the highest share of the last decades.

The number of same-sex marriages in Colombia peaked in 2021 with 1,178 cases. During the last two years, the number fall to less than 600 marriages, the lowest numbers since 2016, the year of legalization of this type of civil unions.

The support for same-sex marriage in the United States increased overall between 2016 and 2024. However, there was a decrease in support across both parties in 2024. According to a survey conducted across the years, this increase was particularly relevant among Republicans. This was consistently the party group least in favor of gay marriage, but in 2021, for the first time, a slight majority of Republicans showed support for it. In 2024, 83 percent of the Democrats' electorate thought that same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid.

In 2023, there were around 9,000 same-sex marriages in Germany. This was a decrease compared to the previous year. 2018 saw the highest number of same-sex marriages, this is probably because it was the first full year it was legalized in Germany.

32 countries in the world have legalized same-sex marriage. Slovenia was the latest to do so, while the second to last was Chil. Most of these countries are located in Western Europe. In Africa, same-sex marriage is legal only in South Africa, whereas in Oceania, only in Australia and New Zealand.

Since the the law legalizing same-sex marriages in Denmark was implemented in June 2012, there have been constantly more same-sex marriages between women than among men. In 2022, 296 women married another woman, and 213 men married another man. The total number of registered marriages in Denmark decreased over the past 20 years.

Divorces

Simultaneously, the number of divorces in Denmark was approximately one half of the number of marriages in 2022. During that year, around 12.000 divorces were registered and out of them, 96 female couples and 42 male couples were divorced.

Marriages in Norway

In Norway, the number of contracted marriages decreased from 2011 to 2021. Around 63,600 marriages were registered in 2021. Among the homosexual couples, the situation was similar as to Denmark; most same-sex marriages were between women. 202 female couples and 94 male couples were married in Norway that year. Norway's Marriage Act made same-sex marriages legal in 2009.

As of 2024, 73 percent of the surveyed population stated that same-sex marriage is completely acceptable. In contrast, only seven percent of respondents in Spain claimed that same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry.

There were ****same-sex marriages in the Republic of Ireland in 2024 compared with *** in the previous year. Of the *** same-sex marriages in 2023, *** were female same-sex marriages, and *** were male same-sex marriages.

This statistic presents the total number of same-sex marriages between men in Spain from 2005 to 2023. The total number of same-sex marriages between men fluctuated, reaching more than 3,165 marriages in 2022. That year, marriages between women outnumbered marriages between men.

In May 2025, approximately 77 percent of people in Great Britain supported the 2014 change in the law that allowed same-sex marriage, compared with 17 percent who opposed it, and nine percent who did not know if they supported or opposed it.

In 2022, 765 same-sex marriages took places between two men and 949 same-sex marriages took place between two women. Marriages between two women outnumbered marriages between two men since 2002, with the largest number of same-sex marriages between two women taking place in 2001. The total number of same-sex marriages in the Netherlands also peaked this year, with over 2,400 same-sex marriages.

In the period from 2014 to 2024, the number of divorces from same-sex marriages and registered partnerships in Finland fluctuated. In 2024, the number of divorces among female couples was 89, while the corresponding figure among male couples was 29. During the same year, a total of 425 same-sex marriages were formed in Finland. Same-sex marriage became legal in Finland after an amendment to the Marriage Act entered into force on 1 March 2017. Since then, over 3,300 couples have tied the knot. From 2002 to 2017, registration of partnership was available for same-sex couples.

In 2022, there were over ******* marriages registered in Brazil. Of the total same-sex marriages, approximately ** percent were between two female spouses.

In 2024, around half of the Mexican population thinks that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry legally. On the other hand with an opposite opinion over 10 percent believes same-sex couples should not be allowed to marry or obtain any kind of legal recognition.