Same-sex marriage in Europe: In which countries is it still against the law?

Germany has become the latest European country to legalise same-sex marriage after its Parliament passed the new law on Friday.

Angela Merkel personally voted against the bill - stating marriage should be “between a man and a woman” - but said she hoped it would now lead to more social cohesion.

Germany is the 14^th European country to legalise same-sex marriage, alongside the UK (except Northern Ireland), France and Spain.

But there are still more than 30 countries where a same-sex marriage is not recognised under law, including Italy, Switzerland and Greece.

There is a broad east/west divide in Europe, with countries such as Russia and Turkey among the worst for LGBT rights.

In many central European countries, civil partnerships which offer similar rights to marriages are available to same-sex couples. This was the case in the UK until David Cameron legalised same-sex marriage in 2014.

Russia has been widely criticised in recent years for its conservative attitude towards LGBT rights.

There are no laws prohibiting discrimination regarding sexual orientation, while in 2013 the distribution among minors of materials in support of “non-traditional” sexual relationships was criminalised.

Similarly in Ukraine, households headed by same-sex couples do not enjoy any of the same legal protections available to heterosexual couples.

These are the European countries and territories where same-sex marriage is unlawful but civil partnerships with similar rights are available:

These are the European countries where same-sex marriage is unlawful and there are no civil partnerships: