{"chart":{"title":"Age of consent for same-sex and different-sex partners","subtitle":"","citation":"Velasco (2026)","originalChartUrl":"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/age-of-consent-same-sex-different-sex-partners","selection":["Malaysia","Cambodia","North Korea","Grenada"]},"columns":{"Age of consent":{"titleShort":"Age of consent","titleLong":"Age of consent","descriptionShort":"Whether the minimum age of consent for same-sex sexual activity equals that for different-sex sexual activity.","descriptionKey":"- This data comes from the LGBTI National Policy Dataset, compiled by Kristopher Velasco at Princeton University. It tracks the adoption, scope, and enforcement of 27 LGBTI-related policies across 195 countries, with annual data starting in 1991.\n- The indicator is coded as follows: **_Equal_** (age of consent is equal for same-sex and different-sex partners under national law), **_Varies by region_** (rules differ between subnational jurisdictions), **_No legal provisions_** (national law sets no age of consent for same-sex sexual activity; in almost all of these countries, same-sex sexual acts are criminalized) and **_Unequal_** (age of consent is higher for same-sex than different-sex partners under national law).\n- The dataset counts policies established by binding legal instruments — statutes, constitutional provisions, decrees and regulations with the force of law, and binding court rulings. Where no law governs a policy, a written rule that does can count too, such as a health-authority guideline, a blood service's donor questionnaire or a religious ruling. Bills, ministerial statements and non-binding declarations are not counted.","descriptionProcessing":"From the original dataset, we combined two indicators — age of consent equal and age of consent unequal — into a single categorical indicator (Equal, Varies by region, No legal provisions, Unequal) based on the proportion scores of both directions. Country-years where either direction shows partial subnational implementation are classified as \"Varies by region\".","shortUnit":"","unit":"","timespan":"1991-2025","type":"Ordinal","owidVariableId":1354585,"shortName":"age_of_consent","lastUpdated":"2026-07-15","nextUpdate":"2027-07-15","citationShort":"Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data","citationLong":"Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. “Age of consent – Velasco” [dataset]. Velasco, “LGBTI National Policy Dataset 3.0” [original data].","fullMetadata":"https://api.ourworldindata.org/v1/indicators/1354585.metadata.json"}},"dateDownloaded":"2026-10-31"}