Denmark became the first country in the world to give legal recognition to same-sex couples when its registered partnership law took effect on October 1, 1989. The law granted most of the legal rights of marriage, and Denmark later moved to full marriage equality in 2012.
Record no. MRB-2026-005892
First Country to Legalize Same-Sex Civil Unions
Reference Record – Not Certified
This record is compiled from publicly available sources for reference. It has not been examined or certified by The Book of World Records.