Legal status of human sterilization by country

Laws regarding sterilization for contraceptive purposes around the world:

  Legal from the age of 18

  Legal from the age of 21, 25 or 18 for those with two children

  Legal from the age of 25

  Legal from the age of 30, 35 or 40

  Legal for those with at least 3, 4 or 5 children sometimes with additional age requirements

  Illegal

  No data

Forced sterilization of people with disabilities in Europe

  Forced sterilization is allowed for minors

  Forced sterilization is allowed

  Forced sterilization is prohibited

  No data

Forced sterilization laws in the United States

  Forced sterilization is allowed

  Status of forced sterilization is unclear

  Forced sterilization is prohibited

This article provides an overview of human sterilization by country. While many countries permit voluntary sterilization for contraceptive purposes, some permit it only for medical or eugenic purposes. Additional restrictions may include minimum age, parental or spousal consent. ^[1]

Country	Voluntary for contraceptive purposes	Compulsory	Notes
Andorra	Yes [1]		Since 1996
Argentina	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Australia	Yes [1]		Since 1977
Austria	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]	25+ years for contraceptive purposes. Since 1974
Bahamas	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Bangladesh	Yes [1]	For refugees
Belarus	Yes [1]		35+years or at least two children
Belgium		Illegal [3]
Belize	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Botswana	Yes [1]
Brazil	Yes [1]	Illegal in most cases, although both the US and Brazilian governments have carried out sterilisation of Brazilians in the 20th and 21st centuries under various rationales	21+ years or <21 with two children for contraceptive purposes. Since 2022
Bulgaria		Legal [3]
Canada	Yes [1]	Legal	Since 1979. Sterilisations particularly of indigenous individuals performed in the 20th and 21st centuries. Ban proposed in 2024. [4]
Cape Verde	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Chile	Yes [1]		Since 2001
China	Yes [1]	De jure illegal
Colombia	Yes [1]		Since 1984
Comoros	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Costa Rica	Yes [1]		Since 1999
Côte d'Ivoire	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Croatia	Yes [1]	Legal [3]	35+ for contraceptive purposes. Since 1978
Cuba	Yes [1]		32+ years with several children for contraceptive purposes. Since 1968
Cyprus		Legal [3]
Czech Republic	Yes [1]	Legal [3]	21+ years for contraceptive reasons. Since 2012
Denmark	Yes [1]	Legal [3]	25+ years for contraceptive reasons. Since 1976
Dominican Republic	Yes [1]		40+ years with one child, 35+ with three children, 30+ with five children or 25+ with six children for contraceptive purposes. Since 1972
Ecuador	Yes [1]		25+ years with three children for contraceptive purposes. Since 1992
El Salvador	Yes [1]		Since 1979
Estonia	Yes [5]	Legal [3]	35+years or at least 3 children. Since 1998
Fiji	Yes [1]
Finland	Yes [1]	Legal [3]	30+ years or <30 years and three children for contraceptive purposes. Since 1985
France	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]	Since 2001
Georgia	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Germany	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]
Ghana	Yes [1]
Greece
Guatemala	No [1]
Honduras	Yes [1]		35+ years with one child or 24–43 with three children for contraceptive purposes.
Hungary	Yes [6]	Legal [3]	40+ years or three children
Iceland	Yes [1]	Only for medical reasons	25+ years for contraceptive purposes. Forced sterilizations banned since 2019 except for medical reasons. [7]
India	Yes [1]		20+ (women) or 25+ (men) years for contraceptive purposes, less if couple has two children. Spousal consent and has to have had one child that is a year old
Indonesia	Yes [1]
Iran	No		In 2021 sterilization was prohibited except for medical purposes. [8]
Ireland		Illegal [3]
Israel	Yes [1]
Italy	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]
Japan	No [1]	Illegal (since 1996)	In practice, contraceptive sterilizations are performed routinely, with health reasons given as the justification. [1] Forced sterilization carried out between 1948 and 1996. [9]
Kenya	Yes [1]
Kyrgyzstan	Yes [10]
Latvia		Legal [3]
Lesotho	Yes [1]
Liechtenstein	Yes [1]		25+ years for contraceptive purposes.
Lithuania	No [11]	Legal [3]
Luxembourg	Yes [1]
Mali	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Malaysia	No		According to 1981 fatwa sterilization is forbidden for men and women. Temporary contraceptive methods may be permitted for health and economic reasons. [12]
Malta		Illegal [3]
Mexico	Yes [1]
Moldova	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Monaco
Mongolia	Yes [1]		Woman must have many[ quantify ] children
Montenegro
Morocco	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Myanmar	No [1]		Since 1963
Namibia	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Nepal	Yes [1]
Netherlands	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]
New Zealand	Yes [1]
Nicaragua	Yes [1]
Niger	Yes [1]		35+ years with four children for contraceptive purposes.
Nigeria	Yes [1]
North Macedonia	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Norway	Yes [1]		25+ years for contraceptive purposes
Pakistan	Yes [1]
Panama	Yes [1]		Five children for contraceptive purposes.
Paraguay	Yes [1]
Peru	Yes [1]
Philippines	Yes [1]
Poland	No	Illegal [3]	Reproductive sterilisation of men (vasectomy) is legal in Poland, while other sterilization methods have been defined as a criminal act since 1997 [13] : 19  and remains so as of 5 September 2019 [update] , under Article 156 §1, which also covers making someone blind, deaf or mute, of the 1997 law. [14] : 64  The original 1997 law punished contraventions with a prison sentence of one to ten years [13] and the updated law as of 5 September 2019 [update] sets a prison sentence of at least 3 years. [14] The prison sentence is a maximum of three years if the sterilisation is involuntary, under Art. 156 §2. [13] [14] : 64
Portugal	Yes [1]	Legal [3]	25+ years for contraceptive purposes.
Romania	Yes [1]
Russia	Yes [1]		35+ years or <35 with two children.
Singapore	Yes [1]
Slovenia	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]	35+ years for contraceptive purposes
Rwanda	No [1]
Saudi Arabia	No [1]
Senegal	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Slovak Republic	Yes [2]	Legal [3]	As of 2009
South Africa	Yes [1]
South Korea	Yes [1]		Since 1973
Spain	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]
Sri Lanka	Yes [1]
Sudan	No [1]		Since 1990
Sweden	Yes [1]	Illegal [3]	25+ years for contraceptive purposes; 18–25 for eugenic, health (women only) or sex change reasons.
Switzerland	Yes [1]	Illegal [15]	See Human sterilization in Switzerland
Taiwan	Yes [1]		Since 1984
Tanzania	Yes [1]
Thailand	Yes [1]
Trinidad and Tobago	Yes [1]
Tunisia	Yes [1]		Since 1973. At least four children required.
Turkey	Yes [1]		Since 1983
Uganda	Yes [1]		Since 1993
United Arab Emirates	No		Women can opt for sterilisation if they have had "any medical illness that could endanger their life in future due to pregnancy". [16]
United Kingdom	Yes [1]
United States	Yes [1]	Varies by state
Uruguay	Yes [2]		As of 2009
Venezuela	No [1]		Since 1971
Vietnam	Yes [1]		Since 1989
Zambia	Yes [1]		Since 1965
Zimbabwe	Yes [1]		Since 1985

See also

• compulsory sterilization § By country

References

1. EngenderHealth (2002). "4". Contraceptive sterilization : global issues and trends. John A. Ross. New York, NY: EngenderHealth. ISBN   1-885063-31-8. OCLC   49322541.
2. Reproductive Health Laws Around the World
3. Forced sterilisation of persons with disabilities in the EU
4. Bill to make forced and coerced sterilization a criminal offence before Senate committee, 29 February 2024
5. "Raseduse katkestamise ja steriliseerimise seadus". Riigiteataja. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
6. "Year 1997. CLIV. Hungarian law about healthcare".
7. Despite Bans, Disabled Women Are Still Being Sterilized in Europe
8. Iran: Population Law Violates Women’s Rights, 10 November 2021
9. Japan sterilisation law victims included nine-year-olds, 20 June 2023
10. "Law of the Kyrgyz Republic on the protection of citizens' health in the Kyrgyz Republic".
11. "2016–2017 Human Rights in Lithuania" (PDF). Lithuania has not legalized voluntary surgical sterilization, as a family planning method
12. "Reproductive rights: Malaysia" (PDF). p. 94.
13. "553 Ustawa z dnia 6 czerwca 1997 r. – Kodeks karny" [553 Law of 6 June 1997 – Criminal code](PDF). Sejm . 6 June 1997. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
14. "Ustawa z dnia 6 czerwca 1997 r. – Kodeks karny – Opracowano na podstawie t.j. Dz. U. z 2018 r. poz. 1600, 2077, z 2019 r. poz. 730, 858, 870, 1135, 1579" [Law of 6 June 1997 – Criminal code – Updated on the basis of Dz. U. 2018 parts 1600, 2077, and Dz. U. 2019 parts 730, 858, 870, 1135, 1579](PDF). Sejm . 5 September 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
15. "Loi fédérale sur les conditions et la procédure régissant la stérilisation de personnes". Federal Chancellery of Switzerland. 17 December 2004. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
16. Muslim, Nina (2 April 2008). "Women now able to undergo sterilisation at private hospitals". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 17 December 2021.