Which countries have decriminalized bestiality in the last decade and why?
Executive summary
Denmark, Sweden and several other European countries tightened laws against bestiality during the 2010s; Denmark outlawed it in April 2015 with penalties up to one year for a first offence (two for repeat offenders) as lawmakers cited tourism and animal welfare concerns [1]. Reporting around recent years shows debate and legal change continue in Europe — for example, Spain’s draft animal-welfare reforms in 2023 were reported to decriminalize zoophilia when no injury occurs [2]. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive global list of countries that have decriminalized bestiality in the last decade; reporting instead focuses on individual reforms and contested proposals [3] [1] [4] [2].
1. A patchwork of bans, not a single global trend
Western European countries moved during the 2010s to criminalize sex with animals rather than decriminalize it. Denmark’s 2015 vote to outlaw bestiality came after lawmakers said the country should not be “the last northern European country” where it remained permitted, and established jail terms for offenders [1]. Media accounts place Denmark alongside other European states including Germany, Sweden and Norway that already criminalized the practice [4]. These sources depict a regional pattern of tightening, not liberalization, in the mid‑2010s [1] [4].
2. Why Denmark changed the law: tourism, welfare and political pressure
Parliamentarians in Denmark explicitly linked the ban to animal welfare and to stopping Denmark from being a destination for “animal sex tourists,” arguing that a clear criminal prohibition was required even if existing statutes could punish animal suffering in some cases [1]. Denmark’s Animal Ethics Council opposed a blanket criminal prohibition on the grounds that existing laws prosecuting cases of animal suffering were sufficient — a competing viewpoint reported at the time [4]. That debate illustrates how motives for legal change blended concern for animals, reputational risk, and differing views on whether new criminal offences were necessary [1] [4].
3. Conflicting coverage and sensational lists
Some popular webpages and listicles have repeated claims about where bestiality remains legal or has been decriminalized, but they mix dated or unsourced assertions with legitimate reporting. For example, Listverse and other aggregator blogs have asserted Denmark, Sweden and some US states had only recently outlawed the practice, but they do not provide primary legal citations and can conflate decriminalization with lack of explicit statute [3] [5]. These types of sources should not be treated as authoritative legal inventories [3] [5].
4. Spain’s 2023 draft: a clear case of contested decriminalization
Reporting in 2023 flagged a draft Spanish animal-welfare law that would remove criminal penalties for sex with animals except where it causes injury, effectively decriminalizing zoophilia in cases without proven harm [2]. The coverage frames this as a legislative change away from treating all sexual acts with animals as an autonomous crime and toward conditioning criminal liability on injury or exploitation [2]. That shift is controversial: it represents a different policy choice from the criminalization trend seen in parts of northern Europe earlier in the decade [1] [4].
5. What the supplied sources do and don’t say
The supplied reporting documents Denmark’s 2015 criminal ban and notes other European countries already criminalized bestiality [1] [4]. It also reports on Spain’s 2023 draft that would narrow criminal exposure by requiring injury for prosecution [2]. Available sources do not provide a systematic list of every country that decriminalized bestiality in the last decade, nor do they supply legislative texts or global timelines to confirm broader decriminalization trends [3] [5]. Where sources present opposing views — for example, Denmark’s Animal Ethics Council versus parliamentarians — both positions are recorded [4].
6. How to read future claims and where to look next
When you encounter claims that a country “decriminalized” bestiality, check whether reporters mean explicit repeal of a statute, narrowing of criminal liability to cases with injury, or absence of a specialized law while generic animal‑abuse rules still apply; the sources here demonstrate those distinctions [1] [2]. For authoritative answers beyond these reports, consult the actual penal codes or government press releases for each country; available sources do not include those primary legal texts and therefore cannot confirm every national status change [1] [2].
If you want, I can compile a follow‑up that searches primary legal texts or government announcements for specific countries you name; current reporting only covers Denmark’s 2015 ban and Spain’s contested 2023 draft, plus commentary and lists that are not comprehensive [1] [2] [3].