A line chart showing the number of countries protecting core LGBT+ rights over time, from 1950 to 2025.

Line chart illustrating the global progression of LGBT+ rights, showing an increase in countries making same-sex sexual acts legal and a more recent rise in joint adoption, same-sex marriage, gender marker change, and third gender recognition.

Number of countries protecting core LGBT+ rights, World Countries that fully implement these core policies. Countries that only partially implement them, such as when laws differ across the country, are not included. Total number of countries. 200 150 100 50 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2025 Same-sex sexual acts legal Joint adoption Same-sex marriage Gender marker change legal Third gender recognized Our World in Data Data source: Mignot (2025); EqualDEX (2025) OurWorldinData.org/lgbt-rights | CC BY