FACTBOX -Same-sex marriage rights around the world

With 32 United Nations member states legally recognising same-sex couples, here are some key facts about their rights around the world: * Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to give the go-ahead to same-sex marriages in May, when a landmark constitutional court ruling came into effect.

Montenegro is the first European country outside western Europe and the European Union to legally recognise same-sex couples.

On July 1, just over half of lawmakers in the Balkan country, which has a population of about 620,000 people, voted to grant gay and lesbian couples a form of civil partnership. With 32 United Nations member states legally recognising same-sex couples, here are some key facts about their rights around the world: * Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to give the go-ahead to same-sex marriages in May, when a landmark constitutional court ruling came into effect. * The first country to legalise same-sex marriage was the Netherlands in 2001. * Same-sex marriage is legal in 28 U.N. member states: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay and the United States. * A total of 32 U.N. states recognise some form of civil partnership for same-sex couples. * Northern Ireland became the last part of the United Kingdom to introduce equal marriage rights in February 2020. * Ecuador, Taiwan and Austria legalised gay marriage in 2019. * Taiwan was the first place in Asia to allow gay marriages. Drives for that right to be granted in China and Japan have faced stiff opposition. * In Africa, where homosexuality is a crime in many countries and can lead to imprisonment or the death penalty, South Africa alone allows for same-sex marriage. * Gay marriage is hotly contested among many religious groups. Leaders of the United Methodist Church announced proposals to split the church into two amid deep disputes over the issue. * Almost one in three adults globally believe people of the same sex should be allowed to marry, a survey of almost 100,000 people in 65 countries showed in 2016.

Sources: ILGA State-Sponsored Homophobia report, Pew Research Centre, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Reuters