In pics: Chile joins the list of countries where same-sex marriage is officially legal

The first country to legalise same-sex marriage, Netherlands did so a couple of decades back in December 2000.

Same-sex marriage in Spain has been legal since July 3, 2005. Spain was actually the third nation in the world to legalise it.

Back in June 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. 

First introduced in several provinces of Canada by court decisions beginning in 2003, same-sex marriage was legally recognised nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act on July 20, 2005, just a few days after Spain.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in all parts of the United Kingdom. 

In the UK, as a way to achieve greater self-government, different subjects are devolved and marriage is one such subject. Due to this, different parts of UK legalised it at different times. England and Wales recognised it in March 2014, Scotland in December 2014, and the latest, Northern Ireland has only been recognising same-sex marriage for one and a half year, since January 2020.  

Same-sex marriages in Germany have been recognised since October 2017. Before that, from 2001 until 2017, Germany recognized registered life partnerships for same-sex couples. 

Australia recognised and legalised same-sex marriage in December 2017.

The first country in Asia to recognise same-sex marriage, Taiwan did so in May 2019.

Chile on Tuesday (December 7) legalised same-sex marriage, a landmark victory for gay rights activists that underscores how profoundly the country’s politics and society have shifted in the past decade.