Same-sex marriage is legal in 17 out of the 27 EU member states. The overall rate of same-sex marriages within those countries is generally between 1 and 4%.
This includes countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Denmark, France, Luxembourg, Ireland, Finland, Malta, Germany, and Austria.
Countries where same-sex marriage is allowed (as of 2025):
Netherlands (legalized in 2001, the first country in the world)
Belgium (legalized in 2003)
Spain (legalized in 2005)
Sweden (legalized in 2009)
Portugal (legalized in 2010)
Denmark (legalized in 2012)
France (legalized in 2013)
Luxembourg (legalized in 2015)
Finland (legalized in 2017)
Germany (legalized in 2017)
Malta (legalized in 2017)
Austria (legalized in 2019)
Ireland (issue decided in referendum 2015)
Slovenia (legalized in 2022)
Estonia (legalized in 2024. It was the first post-Soviet country)
Greece (legalized in 2024. It was the first Orthodox country)
Latvia (legalized in 2024)
Lithuania (legalized in 2025, but will enter into force in 2026)
Croatia (not marriage, but "civil partnership")
Czech Republic (law approved by parliament in 2025, but will enter into force at the end of the year)
Italy (partnerships exist, but not marriage)
Cyprus (only partnerships are allowed)
EU member states that only allow partnerships:
Italy;
Hungary;
Czech Republic (temporarily, law will come into force in 2025);
Cyprus;
Croatia;
EU member states that neither allow same-sex marriage nor partnerships:
Bulgaria;
Poland;
Romania;
Slovakia;
The overall number of same-sex marriages varies from 1 to 4%. Here are some specific examples:
Spain - In 2024, the share of same-sex marriages was approximately 3.4%.
Germany - In 2024, same-sex marriages accounted for 2.53% of the total;
France - In 2013, the share of same-sex marriages was 3%, in 2014- 4%;
Belgium - In 2023, the share of same-sex marriages in Brussels was 3.3%. In the country as a whole, it was approximately 3-4%;
Ireland - In 2023, same-sex marriages accounted for 3.1% of the total;
Finland - In 2024, 21,420 marriages were registered, of which 425 were between same-sex couples making about 2%.
