The 29 countries around the world where same-sex marriage is legal

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• There are currently only 29 countries that allow same-sex couples to marry.
• The latest country to pass legislation is Costa Rica, which became the first Central American nation to allow same-sex marriage on May 26, 2020.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

People fighting for same-sex marriage rights around the world have seen global support increase in recent years. Australia, Malta, and Germany legalized same-sex marriage in 2017, and Taiwan made history in 2019, becoming the first government in Asia to welcome legislation on marriage equality. 

Costa Rica became the first Central American country to legalize same-sex marriage on May 26, 2020.

"May empathy and love be the compass that guides us forward and allow us to move forward and build a country that has room for everyone," Costa Rica's President Carlos Alvarado Quesada wrote on Twitter following the ruling. 

There are currently only 29 countries that allow same-sex couples to marry.

Keep scrolling to read the full list:

1. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriages.

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The legislation gave same-sex couples the right to marry, divorce, and adopt children. 

Source: CBS News

2. Belgium followed suit in 2003 and granted equal rights to same-sex married couples.

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Beginning in 1998, the Belgian parliament offered limited rights to same-sex couples through registered partnerships. In 2003, the parliament legally recognized same-sex marriages.

Source: The Guardian

3. In 2005, the Canadian Parliament passed legislation making same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

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In 1999, some provincial governments extended common law marriages to gay and lesbian couples, providing them with most of the legal benefits of marriage but laws varied across the country.

Source: CBC News

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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SEE ALSO: How Australia's slow march toward same-sex marriage compares to the US

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