# Recognition of same-sex unions in Africa

Part of the LGBTQ rights series :
Legal status of same-sex unions :
Marriage
Andorra
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Cuba
Denmark
Ecuador
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Ireland
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Portugal
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Recognized
Israel
United States:
 • American Samoa :
Civil unions or registered partnerships but not marriage
Bolivia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Monaco
Montenegro
San Marino
United Kingdom:
 • Bermuda
 • Cayman Islands :
Minimal recognition
Bulgaria
Cambodia
China
 • Hong Kong
India
Japan
Lithuania
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands:
 • Sint Maarten
Poland
Romania
Slovakia :
See also
Same-sex union legislation
Same-sex union court cases
Timeline of same-sex marriage
Recognition of same-sex unions in Africa
Recognition of same-sex unions in Asia
Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe
Recognition of same-sex unions in the Americas
Recognition of same-sex unions in Oceania
Marriage privatization
Divorce of same-sex couples
Domestic partnership
Military policy
Adoption
Listings by country
LGBTQ rights by country or territory :
Notes
1 2 Performed in the Netherlands proper (including the Caribbean Netherlands), as well as in Aruba and Curaçao. May be registered in Sint Maarten in such cases, but the rights of marriage are not guaranteed.
↑ Neither performed nor recognized in Niue, Tokelau, or the Cook Islands.
↑ Neither performed nor recognized in six British Overseas Territories.
1 2 Neither performed nor recognized in some tribal nations of the US. Recognized but not performed in several other tribal nations and American Samoa.
↑ Registered foreign marriages confer all marriage rights in Israel. Domestic common-law marriages confer most rights of marriage. Domestic civil marriage recognized by some cities.
1 2 3 4 5 The Coman v. Romania ruling of the European Court of Justice obliges the state to provide residency rights for the foreign spouses of EU citizens. Some member states, including Romania, do not follow the ruling.
↑ A "declaration of family relationship" is available in several of Cambodia's communes which may be useful in matters such as housing, but is not legally binding.
↑ Guardianship agreements confer some limited legal benefits in China, including decisions about medical and personal care.
↑ Hong Kong provides inheritance, guardianship rights, and residency rights for foreign spouses of legal residents.
↑ Indian courts have recognised guru–shishya, nata pratha or maitri karar–type contractual relationships, but they are not legally binding.
↑ Most Japanese cities and prefectures issue partnership certificates, but they are not legally binding.
↑ Marriages conducted abroad between a Namibian national and a foreign spouse provide residency rights in Namibia.
↑ Romania provides hospital visitation rights through a "legal representative" status. :
LGBTQ portal :
vte :
Debate has occurred throughout Africa over proposals to legalize same-sex marriage as well as civil unions.
Currently, South Africa is the only African country that performs and recognises same-sex marriage, and Namibia is the only other which legally recognizes same-sex marriages performed abroad. In addition, the Spanish regions of the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the Portuguese territory of Madeira, the French territories of Mayotte and Réunion and the British Overseas Territory of St. Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha recognize and perform same-sex marriage.
Civil partnerships or de facto unions are also recognized in South Africa, and the French, Spanish and Portuguese territories.

## Current situation
### National level

| Status | Country | Legal since | Country population (Last Census count) |
| Marriage (1 country) | South Africa | 2006 | 54,956,900 |
| Subtotal | — | — | 54,956,900 (4.5% of the African population) |
| Recognition of foreign marriage (1 country) | Namibia | 2023 | 2,113,077 |
| Subtotal | — | — | 2,113,077 (0.17% of the African population) |
| Subtotal | — | — | 57,069,977 (4.67% of the African population) |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Algeria * | — | 40,400,000 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Angola | — | 25,789,024 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Benin | — | 10,872,298 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Botswana | — | 2,250,260 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Cameroon * | — | 23,439,189 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Cape Verde | — | 539,560 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Central African Republic | — | 4,594,621 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Chad * | — | 13,670,084 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Comoros * | — | 795,601 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Djibouti | — | 942,333 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Egypt * | — | 96,474,100 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Equatorial Guinea | — | 1,221,490 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Eritrea * | — | 4,954,645 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Eswatini * | — | 1,343,098 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Ethiopia * | — | 102,403,196 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Gambia * | — | 2,051,363 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Ghana * | — | 27,043,093 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Guinea * | — | 12,395,924 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Guinea-Bissau | — | 1,815,698 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Ivory Coast | — | 23,740,424 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Lesotho | — | 2,203,821 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Liberia * | — | 4,503,000 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Libya * | — | 6,293,253 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Madagascar | — | 24,894,551 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Malawi * | — | 18,091,575 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Mauritania * | — | 4,301,018 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Mauritius | — | 1,262,132 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Morocco * | — | 33,848,242 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Mozambique | — | 28,829,476 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Niger | — | 20,672,987 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Nigeria * | — | 185,989,640 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Republic of the Congo | — | 5,125,821 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | São Tomé and Príncipe | — | 199,910 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Senegal * | — | 15,411,614 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Seychelles | — | 94,228 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Sierra Leone * | — | 7,075,641 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Somalia * | — | 14,317,996 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | South Sudan * | — | 12,230,730 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Tanzania * | — | 55,572,201 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Togo * | — | 7,965,055 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Tunisia * | — | 11,304,482 |
| No recognition (44 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Zambia * | — | 16,591,390 |
| Subtotal | — | — | 873,514,764 (70% of the African population) |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Burkina Faso | — | 20,107,509 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Burundi * | 2005 | 10,524,117 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 2006 | 78,736,153 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Gabon | 2024 | 1,979,786 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Kenya * | 2010 | 49,125,325 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Mali * | 2023 | 14,517,176 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Rwanda | 2003 | 11,262,564 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Sudan * | — | 39,578,828 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Uganda * | 2005 | 41,487,965 |
| Constitutional ban on marriage (10 countries) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Zimbabwe * | 2013 | 16,150,362 |
| Subtotal | — | — | 283,469,785 (23% of the African population) |
| Total | — | — | 1,214,062,706 (99.6% of the African population) |

### Partially recognized and unrecognized states

| Status | Country | Since | State population (last estimate) |
| No recognition (2 state) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic * | — | 100,000 |
| No recognition (2 state) * same-sex sexual activity illegal | Somaliland * | — | 3,508,180 |
| Subtotal | — | — | 3,608,180 (0.3% of the African population) |
| Total | — | — | 3,608,180 (0.3% of the African population) |

### Sub-national level

| Status | Country | Jurisdiction | Legal since | Jurisdiction population (last census) |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | France | French Southern and Antarctic Lands | 2013 | — |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | France | Mayotte | 2013 | 256,518 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | France | Réunion | 2013 | 865,826 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | Portugal | Madeira | 2010 | 289,000 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | Spain | Canary Islands | 2005 | 2,101,924 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | Spain | Ceuta | 2005 | 82,376 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | Spain | Melilla | 2005 | 78,476 |
| Marriage (9 jurisdictions) | United Kingdom | Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | 2017 | 5,633 |
| Subtotal | — | — | — | 3,679,753 (0.3% of the African population) |
| Total | — | — | — | 3,679,753 (0.3% of the African population) |

## Public opinion

Opinion polls for same-sex marriage by country :
| Country | Pollster | Year | For | Against | Neutral | Margin of error |
| Kenya | Pew Research Center | 2023 | 9% | 90% | 1% | ±3.6% |
| Mozambique (3 cities) | Lambda | 2017 | 28% (32%) | 60% (68%) | 12% | |
| Nigeria | Pew Research Center | 2023 | 2% | 97% | 1% | ±3.6% |
| South Africa | Ipsos | 2023 | 57% | 29% [10% support some rights] | 14% | ±3.5% |