Can same-sex couples adopt in India?
Limited (step-child / single)
Joint adoption is not open to same-sex couples; step-child or single-person adoption is.
India is one of 27 countries classified “Limited (step-child / single)” for same-sex adoption — 18% of the 147 with data. (Also searched as LGBT adoption.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: LGBTQ adoption
- Last checked
- 15 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read directly from the source’s own table, without interpretation.
Nearby countries
- Nepal
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Bangladesh
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Bhutan
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Myanmar
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Pakistan
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Sri Lanka
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
Other laws in India
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Pornography
- Illegal
- Divorce
- Heavily restricted
- Non-Binary Recognition
- Limited recognition
- Incest Laws
- Legal between adults
- Marriage Age
- 18+
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.