The 25 countries around the world where same-sex marriage is legal

Both Malta and Germany legalized same-sex marriage and, this week, Australia made big strides towards doing so as well.

In a nation-wide postal poll, 61.6% of Australian voters said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, ensuring the federal government will try to pass a marriage equality bill before the end of the year.

Yet while demand continues to grow for LGBTQI rights, there are currently only 25 countries that allow same-sex couples to marry.

Keep scrolling to read the full list:

1. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriages.

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2. Belgium followed suit in 2003 and granted equal rights to same-sex married couples.

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3. In 2005, the Canadian Parliament passed legislation making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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4. Also in 2005, a closely divided Spanish parliament agreed to do the same.

The law

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5. After South Africa's highest court ruled the country's marriage laws violated the constitution’s guarantee of equal rights, parliament legalized same-sex marriage in 2006.

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6. In 1993 Norway allowed gay couples to enter civil unions, but it took until 2008 for a Norway to pass a gender-neutral marriage law.

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7. In 2009,Sweden voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.

The bill passed

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8. Iceland's parliament voted unanimously to legalize same-sex marriage in 2010.

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9. Portugal has also allowed same-sex marriage since 2010, after legislation was originally challenged by the country's president.

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10. In 2010, Argentina became the first Latin American country to allow same-sex marriage.

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11. Denmark's legalization came in 2012 after Queen Margrethe II gave her royal assent to the proposed legislation.

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12. Uruguay passed legislation allowing same-sex marriage in 2013.

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13. In 2013, New Zealand became the first country in the Asia-Pacific to legislate for same-sex marriage.

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14. President Francois Hollande signed a measure legalizing marriage equality in France in 2013.

Hollande’s signature had to wait until a court challenge brought by the conservative opposition party, the UMP, was resolved.

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15. Brazil’s National Council of Justice ruled that same-sex couples should not be denied marriage licenses in 2013, allowing same-sex marriages to begin across the country.

Prior to the law, only some

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16. England and Wales became the first countries in the UK to pass marriage equality in 2014.

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17. Scotland voted overwhelmingly in favor of of legalizing same-sex marriage later in 2014.

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18. Luxembourg overwhelmingly approved legislation to allow gay and lesbian couples to wed and to adopt children that went into effect in 2015.

The bill was spearheaded by

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19. Finland approved a marriage equality bill in 2014, but it only went into effect this year.

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20. Ireland became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote in 2015.

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21. Greenland, the world's biggest island, passed same-sex legislation in 2015.

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22. The United States Supreme Court made marriage equality federal law in 2015.

Same-sex marriage had been legal in 37 out of the 50 US states, plus the District of Columbia, prior to the 2015 ruling.

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23. Colombia became the fourth Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2016.

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24. In 2017, Germany became the 15th European country to allow same-sex couples to wed.

Germany gave full marital rights to homosexual couples in a vote that Chancellor Angela Merkel vited against.

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25. And earlier this year nearly all of Malta's parliament voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage.

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The 25 countries around the world where same-sex marriage is legal

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