The map is color-coded to indicate the status of third gender recognition in different regions:
- Blue: Countries where a third gender is legally recognized.
- Green: Countries where only intersex individuals are legally recognized with a third gender.
- Orange: Countries where recognition of a third gender varies by region.
- Red: Countries where a third gender is not legally recognized.
- White with stripes: Countries for which no data is available.
Some notable observations from the map:
- In North and South America, several countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Argentina have legal recognition of a third gender.
- Some of Europe, including Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark recognizes a third gender.
- In Asia, a few countries like India, Nepal, and Pakistan recognize a third gender.
- Australia and New Zealand are notable countries in Oceania that recognize a third gender.
- The rest of the world has extremely limited recognition, with only a few countries recognizing a third gender.
Here is the full data by country:
| Country | Legal recognition of non-binary gender |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Not legally recognized |
| Albania | Not legally recognized |
| Algeria | Not legally recognized |
| Andorra | Not legally recognized |
| Angola | Not legally recognized |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Not legally recognized |
| Argentina | Recognized |
| Armenia | Not legally recognized |
| Australia | Recognized |
| Austria | Intersex only |
| Azerbaijan | Not legally recognized |
| Bahamas | Not legally recognized |
| Bahrain | Not legally recognized |
| Bangladesh | Recognized |
| Barbados | Not legally recognized |
| Belarus | Not legally recognized |
| Belgium | Not legally recognized |
| Belize | Not legally recognized |
| Benin | Not legally recognized |
| Bhutan | Not legally recognized |
| Bolivia | Not legally recognized |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Not legally recognized |
| Botswana | Not legally recognized |
| Brazil | Intersex only |
| Brunei | Not legally recognized |
| Bulgaria | Not legally recognized |
| Burkina Faso | Not legally recognized |
| Burundi | Not legally recognized |
| Cambodia | Not legally recognized |
| Cameroon | Not legally recognized |
| Canada | Recognized |
| Cape Verde | Not legally recognized |
| Central African Republic | Not legally recognized |
| Chad | Not legally recognized |
| Chile | Recognized |
| China | Not legally recognized |
| Colombia | Recognized |
| Comoros | Not legally recognized |
| Congo | Not legally recognized |
| Costa Rica | Recognized |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Not legally recognized |
| Croatia | Not legally recognized |
| Cuba | Not legally recognized |
| Cyprus | Not legally recognized |
| Czechia | Not legally recognized |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | Not legally recognized |
| Denmark | Recognized |
| Djibouti | Not legally recognized |
| Dominica | Not legally recognized |
| Dominican Republic | Not legally recognized |
| East Timor | Not legally recognized |
| Ecuador | Not legally recognized |
| Egypt | Not legally recognized |
| El Salvador | Not legally recognized |
| Equatorial Guinea | Not legally recognized |
| Eritrea | Not legally recognized |
| Estonia | Not legally recognized |
| Eswatini | Not legally recognized |
| Ethiopia | Not legally recognized |
| Fiji | Not legally recognized |
| Finland | Not legally recognized |
| France | Not legally recognized |
| Gabon | Not legally recognized |
| Gambia | Not legally recognized |
| Georgia | Not legally recognized |
| Germany | Intersex only |
| Ghana | Not legally recognized |
| Greece | Not legally recognized |
| Grenada | Not legally recognized |
| Guatemala | Not legally recognized |
| Guinea | Not legally recognized |
| Guinea-Bissau | Not legally recognized |
| Guyana | Not legally recognized |
| Haiti | Not legally recognized |
| Honduras | Not legally recognized |
| Hungary | Not legally recognized |
| Iceland | Recognized |
| India | Recognized |
| Indonesia | Not legally recognized |
| Iran | Not legally recognized |
| Ireland | Not legally recognized |
| Israel | Not legally recognized |
| Italy | Not legally recognized |
| Jamaica | Not legally recognized |
| Japan | Not legally recognized |
| Jordan | Not legally recognized |
| Kazakhstan | Not legally recognized |
| Kenya | Intersex only |
| Kiribati | Not legally recognized |
| Kuwait | Not legally recognized |
| Kyrgyzstan | Not legally recognized |
| Laos | Not legally recognized |
| Latvia | Not legally recognized |
| Lebanon | Not legally recognized |
| Lesotho | Not legally recognized |
| Liberia | Not legally recognized |
| Libya | Not legally recognized |
| Liechtenstein | Not legally recognized |
| Lithuania | Not legally recognized |
| Luxembourg | Not legally recognized |
| Madagascar | Not legally recognized |
| Malawi | Not legally recognized |
| Malaysia | Not legally recognized |
| Maldives | Not legally recognized |
| Mali | Not legally recognized |
| Malta | Recognized |
| Marshall Islands | Not legally recognized |
| Mauritius | Not legally recognized |
| Mexico | Recognized |
| Micronesia (country) | Not legally recognized |
| Moldova | Not legally recognized |
| Monaco | Not legally recognized |
| Mongolia | Not legally recognized |
| Montenegro | Not legally recognized |
| Morocco | Not legally recognized |
| Mozambique | Not legally recognized |
| Myanmar | Not legally recognized |
| Namibia | Not legally recognized |
| Nauru | Not legally recognized |
| Nepal | Recognized |
| Netherlands | Recognized |
| New Zealand | Recognized |
| Nicaragua | Not legally recognized |
| Niger | Not legally recognized |
| Nigeria | Not legally recognized |
| North Korea | Not legally recognized |
| North Macedonia | Not legally recognized |
| Norway | Not legally recognized |
| Oman | Not legally recognized |
| Pakistan | Recognized |
| Palau | Not legally recognized |
| Panama | Not legally recognized |
| Papua New Guinea | Not legally recognized |
| Paraguay | Not legally recognized |
| Peru | Not legally recognized |
| Philippines | Not legally recognized |
| Poland | Not legally recognized |
| Portugal | Not legally recognized |
| Qatar | Not legally recognized |
| Romania | Not legally recognized |
| Russia | Not legally recognized |
| Rwanda | Not legally recognized |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Not legally recognized |
| Saint Lucia | Not legally recognized |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Not legally recognized |
| Samoa | Not legally recognized |
| San Marino | Not legally recognized |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Not legally recognized |
| Saudi Arabia | Not legally recognized |
| Senegal | Not legally recognized |
| Serbia | Not legally recognized |
| Seychelles | Not legally recognized |
| Sierra Leone | Not legally recognized |
| Singapore | Not legally recognized |
| Slovakia | Not legally recognized |
| Slovenia | Not legally recognized |
| Solomon Islands | Not legally recognized |
| Somalia | Not legally recognized |
| South Africa | Not legally recognized |
| South Korea | Not legally recognized |
| South Sudan | Not legally recognized |
| Spain | Varies by region |
| Sri Lanka | Not legally recognized |
| Sudan | Not legally recognized |
| Suriname | Not legally recognized |
| Sweden | Not legally recognized |
| Switzerland | Not legally recognized |
| Syria | Not legally recognized |
| Taiwan | Not legally recognized |
| Tajikistan | Not legally recognized |
| Tanzania | Not legally recognized |
| Thailand | Not legally recognized |
| Togo | Not legally recognized |
| Tonga | Not legally recognized |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Not legally recognized |
| Tunisia | Not legally recognized |
| Turkey | Not legally recognized |
| Turkmenistan | Not legally recognized |
| Tuvalu | Not legally recognized |
| Uganda | Not legally recognized |
| Ukraine | Not legally recognized |
| United Arab Emirates | Not legally recognized |
| United Kingdom | Not legally recognized |
| United States | Recognized |
| Uruguay | Not legally recognized |
| Uzbekistan | Not legally recognized |
| Vanuatu | Not legally recognized |
| Venezuela | Not legally recognized |
| Vietnam | Not legally recognized |
| Yemen | Not legally recognized |
| Zambia | Not legally recognized |
| Zimbabwe | Not legally recognized |
What does third gender mean?
The term “third gender” refers to a category of gender identity that is distinct from the traditional binary understanding of male and female.
It encompasses a variety of gender identities and roles that do not fit within the conventional definitions of man or woman.
Third gender recognition allows individuals to identify legally as something other than male or female, acknowledging a broader spectrum of gender diversity.
The specifics of what constitutes a third gender can vary widely across different cultures and legal systems, but generally, it includes:
- Non-binary: Individuals who do not exclusively identify as male or female.
- Genderqueer: People who reject traditional gender distinctions and may identify as both, neither, or a combination of male and female.
- Hijra: In South Asia, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, hijra is a recognized third gender encompassing a community of people who may be eunuchs, intersex, or transgender.
- Two-Spirit: In some Indigenous cultures in North America, Two-Spirit is a term used to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine qualities.
Legal recognition of a third gender provides individuals with rights and documentation (such as passports, ID cards, and birth certificates) that reflect their gender identity, promoting social acceptance and reducing discrimination.
What does Non-binary mean?
Non-binary is a term used to describe gender identities that do not fit within the traditional binary framework of male and female.
People who identify as non-binary may experience a gender identity that is neither exclusively male nor female, or they may identify as a blend of both, or as something entirely different.
Non-binary is an umbrella term that can include various gender identities, such as:
- Genderqueer: A term used to describe a broad range of gender identities that are not exclusively male or female. Genderqueer individuals may feel that their gender identity is fluid, changing, or falls outside the binary altogether.
- Genderfluid: People who identify as genderfluid may feel that their gender identity changes over time or depending on the situation. They might feel more male at times and more female at other times, or they might identify with a different gender altogether.
- Agender: Some non-binary individuals identify as agender, meaning they do not identify with any gender. They may feel that they have no gender or that gender is not a relevant concept for them.
- Bigender: Individuals who identify as bigender experience two gender identities, either simultaneously or switching between them. These identities can be male and female or include other genders.
- Demiboy/Demigirl: People who identify as demiboy or demigirl feel a partial connection to a particular gender (male or female, respectively) but not wholly or exclusively.
Non-binary people may use a variety of pronouns, including they/them, he/him, she/her, or others like ze/zir, depending on their personal preference.
Source:
Bastian Herre (2024) - “LGBT+ rights have become more protected in dozens of countries, but are not recognized across most of the world” Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/progress-lgbt-rights' [Online Resource]
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Christopher says
This is inaccurate for the United States, or at least misleading. States have different laws regarding “third genders.” Some expressly prohibit recognition. As to the federal government, it was recognized and now it is not.