(#1) India
- New Delhi
In India, same-sex relationships have a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
(#2) Singapore
- Singapore
In Singapore, same-sex relationships between men are punishable by up to two years in prison. There is no punishment for women.
(#3) Egypt
- Cairo
Same-sex relationships aren't illegal in Egypt, but the government uses laws that state "violation of honor by threat" and "practicing immoral and indecent behavior" to convict individuals suspect of engaging in gay relationships. For example, one young man was sentenced to 17 years in prison for merely placing his profile on a gay dating site.
(#5) Malaysia
- Kuala Lumpur
In Malaysia, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. If the sexual act took place in a region that follows Sharia law, additional punishments, including whippings, may be administered.
(#6) Morocco
- Rabat
In Morocco, individuals who are convicted of engaging in same-sex relationships can receive a fine or up to three years in jail.
(#7) Kenya
- Nairobi
In Kenya, same-sex relationships are punishable from 14-21 years in prison. Even attempting a to engage in a homosexual activity is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.
(#8) Nigeria
- Abuja
The punishment for same-sex relationships varies by state in Nigeria. The northern states, which follow Sharia law, declare that men who engage in same-sex relationships may be punished by death, whereas women may be whipped or imprisoned. In the rest of Nigeria, same-sex relationships warrant up to a 14 year jail sentence.
(#9) Iran
- Tehran
Iran operates under Sharia law, making sexual intercourse between two males punishable by death.
(#10) Pakistan
- Islamabad
In Pakistan, same-sex relationships are punishable offenses and individuals who are convicted could get between two and 10 years in prison.
(#12) Algeria
- Algiers
In Algeria, same-sex relationships are punishable by a fine or up to three years of imprisonment.
(#13) Uzbekistan
- Tashkent
In Uzbekistan, sexual intercourse between two men is punishable by up to three years in prison.
(#14) Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh
Saudi Arabia operates under Sharia law, which makes same-sex relationship punishable by death. Stoning is the typical method used to administer this punishment.
(#15) Tunisia
- Tunis
In Tunisia, same-sex relationships between men are punishable by up to three years in prison. There is no official punishment for women.
(#16) Ethiopia
- Addis Ababa
In Ethiopia, same-sex relationship are punishable by anywhere between one and 15 years in prison.
(#17) Trinidad and Tobago
- Port of Spain
In Trinidad and Tobago, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
(#18) Ghana
- Accra
In Ghana, same-sex relationships are punishable by between five and 25 years in prison.
(#19) Qatar
- Doha
In Qatar, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 25 years in prison. If the individual convicted is Muslim, he would be subjected to Sharia law and sentenced to additional whippings or death.
(#20) Kuwait
- Kuwait City
In Kuwait, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to seven years in prison.
(#21) Zimbabwe
- Harare
In Zimbabwe, same-sex relationships between men are punishable by fine or imprisonment. There is no punishment for women.
(#22) Uganda
- Kampala
In Uganda, same-sex relationships are punishable by anywhere between 14 years to life in prison.
(#23) United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi
In the United Arab Emirates, same-sex relationships are punishable by a variety of sentences, with death being the most severe in regions that follow Sharia law. Foreigners can be deported for engaging in homosexual activities.
(#24) Cameroon
- Yaoundé
In Cameroon, same-sex relationships may be punishable by fine, up to five years in prison, or death.
(#25) Eritrea
- Asmara
In Eritrea, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to three years in prison.
(#26) Sudan
- Khartoum
In Sudan, same-sex relationships are punishable by anything between flogging and five years in prison for a first offense, and death for multiple offenses.
(#29) Yemen
- Sana'a
In Yemen, the punishment for same-sex relationships depends on gender and marital status. An unmarried man is subjected to whippings and up to one year in prison; a married man is subjected to death by stoning. A woman may receive anywhere between three and seven years in prison.
(#30) Myanmar
- Naypyidaw
In Myanmar, same-sex relationships are punishable by a fine or 10 years to life in prison.
(#31) Afghanistan
- Kabul
In Afghanistan, same-sex relationships are punishable by a long prison sentence or execution.
(#32) Oman
- Muscat
In Oman, same-sex relationships are punishable by anywhere between six months to three years in prison.
(#33) Tanzania
- Dodoma
In Tanzania, same-sex relationships are punishable by prison sentences ranging between 25 years and life.
(#34) Senegal
- Dakar
In Senegal, same-sex relationships are punishable by a fine or between one and five years in prison.
(#35) Sri Lanka
- Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte
In Sri Lanka, same-sex relationships are punishable by fine or imprisonment.
(#37) Swaziland
- Mbabane, Lobamba
In Swaziland, same-sex relationships are punishable by fine and imprisonment.
(#39) Bangladesh
- Dhaka
In Bangladesh, same-sex relationships are punishable by fines and up to 10 years in prison.
(#40) Brunei
- Bandar Seri Begawan
In early 2019, the Sultan of Brunei declared that as a part of their sharia law, intimacy between two people of the same sex was punishable by stoning. After celebrities like George Clooney, Elton John, and Ellen DeGeneres began a boycott of the nine luxury Hollywood hotels the Sultan of Brunei owns, the extreme laws were pulled back.
Persecution is still prevalent, however, and homosexuality in Brunei can be punished by up to a decade in prison.
(#41) Papua New Guinea
- Port Moresby
In Papua New Guinea, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
(#43) Burundi
- Bujumbura
In Burundi, same-sex relationships are punishable by fine and up to two years in prison.
(#44) Guinea
- Conakry
In Guinea, same-sex relationships are punishable fine and a prison sentence between six months and three years.
(#45) Mauritius
- Port Louis
In Mauritius, same-sex relationships between men are punishable by up to five years in prison. There is no punishment for women.
(#46) Somalia
- Mogadishu
In Somalia, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to three years in prison. In regions that operate under Sharia law, the maximum punishment is death by stoning.
(#49) Sierra Leone
- Freetown
In Sierra Leone, same-sex relationships are punishable by up to life in prison with hard labor.
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About This Tool
According to ILGA, there are currently more than 70 countries criminalizing gay relationships, while other countries have various forms of laws regulating gay sexual behavior. In Brunei, homosexuality is illegal and can be punishable by up to 10 years in prison, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Sudan, Mauritania, and parts of Nigeria, and more regions impose the death penalty for gay relationships. ILGA estimates that gay marriage is now legalized in 26 countries around the world.
Nowadays, people are not surprised to see gay couples. Can you imagine that homosexuality is still illegal in more than 70 countries? But it is difficult to determine which countries have actually implemented these penalties. This is a list of random 71 countries where it is still illegal to be gay.
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