Wikipedia

Recognition of same-sex unions in Africa

Debate has occurred throughout Africa over proposals to legalise same-sex marriage as well as civil unions.

Same-sex sexual activity legal
  Same-sex marriage
  Limited recognition (foreign residency rights)
  No recognition of same-sex couples
Same-sex sexual activity illegal
  Prison but not enforced
  Prison
  Death penalty on books but not enforced
  Enforced death penalty
Countries performing civil unions in Africa
  Gender-neutral civil unions.
  Civil unions never performed.

Currently, South Africa is the only African country that performs and recognises same-sex marriage,[1] and Namibia is the only other which legally recognises 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 recognise and perform same-sex marriage.

Civil partnerships or de facto unions are also recognised in South Africa, and the French, Spanish and Portuguese territories.

Current situation

edit

National level

edit
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
(45 countries)
* same-sex sexual activity illegal
  Algeria * — 40,400,000
  Angola — 25,789,024
  Benin — 10,872,298
  Botswana — 2,250,260
  Cameroon * — 23,439,189
  Cape Verde — 539,560
  Central African Republic — 4,594,621
  Chad * — 13,670,084
  Comoros * — 795,601
  Djibouti — 942,333
  Egypt * — 96,474,100
  Equatorial Guinea — 1,221,490
  Eritrea * — 4,954,645
  Eswatini * — 1,343,098
  Ethiopia * — 102,403,196
  Gabon — 1,979,786
  Gambia * — 2,051,363
  Ghana * — 27,043,093
  Guinea * — 12,395,924
  Guinea-Bissau — 1,815,698
  Ivory Coast — 23,740,424
  Lesotho — 2,203,821
  Liberia * — 4,503,000
  Libya * — 6,293,253
  Madagascar — 24,894,551
  Malawi * — 18,091,575
  Mauritania * — 4,301,018
  Mauritius — 1,262,132
  Morocco * — 33,848,242
  Mozambique — 28,829,476
  Niger — 20,672,987
  Nigeria * — 185,989,640
  Republic of the Congo — 5,125,821
  São Tomé and Príncipe — 199,910
  Senegal * — 15,411,614
  Seychelles — 94,228
  Sierra Leone * — 7,075,641
  Somalia * — 14,317,996
  South Sudan * — 12,230,730
  Tanzania * — 55,572,201
  Togo * — 7,965,055
  Tunisia * — 11,304,482
  Zambia * — 16,591,390
Subtotal — — 875,494,550
(70% of the African population)
Constitutional ban on marriage
(9 countries)
* same-sex sexual activity illegal 		  Burkina Faso — 20,107,509
  Burundi * — 10,524,117
  Democratic Republic of the Congo — 78,736,153
  Kenya * — 49,125,325
  Mali 2023 14,517,176
  Rwanda — 11,262,564
  Sudan * — 39,578,828
  Uganda * — 41,487,965
  Zimbabwe * — 16,150,362
Subtotal — — 281,489,999
(23% of the African population)
Total — — 1,214,062,706
(99.6% of the African population)

Partially recognised and unrecognised states

edit
Status Country Since State population
(last estimate)
No recognition
(2 state)
* same-sex sexual activity illegal 		  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic * — 100,000
  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

edit
Status Country Jurisdiction Legal since Jurisdiction population
(last census)
Marriage
(9 jurisdictions) 		  France   French Southern and Antarctic Lands 2013 —
  Mayotte 2013 256,518
  Réunion 2013 865,826
  Portugal   Madeira 2010 289,000
  Spain   Canary Islands 2005 2,101,924
  Ceuta 2005 82,376
  Melilla 2005 78,476
  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

edit
  Indicates the country/territory has legalised same-sex marriage nationwide
  Indicates that same-sex marriage is legal in certain parts of the country
  Indicates that the country has civil unions or registered partnerships
  Indicates that same-sex sexual activity is illegal
Opinion polls for same-sex marriage by country
Country Pollster Year For Against Neutral[a] Margin
of error 		Source
  Kenya Pew Research Center 2023 9% 90% 1% ±3.6% [2]
  Mozambique (3 cities) Lambda 2017 28%
(32%) 		60%
(68%) 		12% [3]
  Nigeria Pew Research Center 2023 2% 97% 1% ±3.6% [2]
  South Africa Ipsos 2023 57%
 29% [10% support some rights]
 14% ±3.5% [b] [4]


See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Also comprises: Don't know; No answer; Other; Refused.
  2. ^ [+ more urban/educated than representative]

References

edit
  1. ^ Wines, Michael (2 December 2005). "Same-Sex Unions to Become Legal in South Africa". New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "How people in 24 countries view same-sex marriage". Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Most Mozambicans against homosexual violence, study finds". MambaOnline - Gay South Africa online. June 4, 2018., (full report)
  4. ^ LGBT+ PRIDE 2023 GLOBAL SURVEY (PDF). Ipsos. 1 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Recognition_of_same-sex_unions_in_Africa&oldid=1257746382"