Hundreds of Swiss gay couples said yes in 2022

Nearly two-thirds of gay marriages in Zurich in 2022 were between men. © Keystone / Ennio Leanza

In the first six months that same-sex marriage was legal in Switzerland, 749 couples tied the knot, according to government statistics. An additional 2,234 couples changed their registered partnership to a marriage.

Same-sex marriage became legal in Switzerland on July 1, 2022, after 64% of voters approved the change in the civil code in a 2021 referendum. Before that, the law had only allowed for same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.

+ Read more on how the change in law also affects fast-track citizenship for same-sex spouses

Of the 749 same-sex couples who got married in 2022, slightly more than half (394) were male, the Federal Statistical Office revealed on Monday. Two-thirds of the marriages occurred in Zurich, the Lake Geneva area and the region surrounding the capital Bern.

Male couples were also more likely to convert their partnership into a marriage, accounting for around 60% of the applications.

Changing gender

The Statistical Office also published the number of people who officially changed their gender in 2022: 1,171 such changes were filed with civil registry offices, with slightly more men (53%) changing their gender than women. More than half were people aged 15-24.

Since January 1, 2022, anyone living in Switzerland who wants to change their official gender no longer has to go to court. Transgender and intersex people can now change their first name and gender in the civil registry without bureaucratic complications. Only two categories remain possible under the law: male and female.