Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Legality of polygamy
open-in-new
<p>The legal status of <a href="/facts/Polygamy/KcotxHJ5">polygamy</a> varies widely around the world. <a href="/facts/Polygamy/KcotxHJ5">Polygamy</a> is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being <a href="/facts/Muslim-majority_countries/n9vVGogr">Muslim-majority countries</a>. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent. </p><p>In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is commonly called <a href="/facts/Bigamy/ltFuNUyV">bigamy</a>, though the penalty varies between jurisdictions. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, the prohibition is <a href="/facts/Unenforced_law/VqeWTwGH">not enforced</a>. </p>