Countries under shariah (Islamic) law permit a second marriage under special circumstances, such as an illness of the first wife or her inability to bear children. In this case, with the first wife's consent, a man may marry again. This is polygyny, a subset of polygamous marriages. Many other countries recognise polygamy for cultural, religious or historical reasons.
See the related links for a list of many of those which allow polygamy.
Generally entire countries do not practice polyandry, though in some it may be legal. According to the Ethnographic Atlas, four societies out of 1,231 studied practiced polyandry. It is less common in modern times as many countries outlaw any form of polygamy.
There is a long history of polyandry in Ancient Tibet, as well as several minority groups in India, Bhutan and northern Nepal. The Masai people, the Irigwe of Northern Nigeria, the Guanches of Gran Canaria, the Kanak of New Caledonia and numerous Amazon groups were known to have practiced some form of polyandry.
Polygamy is legal in:
Afghanistan
Algeria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Chad
Comoros
Djibouti
Gabon
Gambia
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Maldives
Mali
Mauritania
Mongolia
Morocco
Myanmar
Niger
Northern Nigeria
Oman
Pakistan
Quatar
Republic of Congo
Saudia Arabia
Senegal
Some areas of Eritrea
Some areas of Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Recognized by customary law but not legal per se:
Bhutan
Botswana
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Lesotho
Liberia
Malawi
Mozambique
Namibia
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Swaziland
Tajikistan
Thailand
Zimbabwe
Polygamy is legal for Muslims only in:
Egypt
Gaza
India
Malaysia
Maldives
Mauritius
Singapore
Sri Lanka
West Bank
Polygamy was recently made illegal but existing marriages are still recognized in:
Benin
Cote d'Ivoire
Mayotte
Polygamous marriages performed in other nations are recognized in:
Australia
United Kingdom
A great map of the legal status of polygamy worldwide can be found at the "Related Links" below.
Polygamy is illegal in all states in the US and in all free democratic countries.
It is mostly in the Muslim countries that practice shariah law.
Polygamy is legal in many Middle Eastern and African countries, and some Asian countries as well.
no where in the US is it legal to practice polygamy
In some nations, yes, but typically no. It is not legal in the United States or Canada.
No. Polygamy has been illegal in the United States since 1862. No individual state can make polygamy legal - it is a national law.
No.
No. Polygamy is illegal everywhere in the United States.
Polygamy may be practiced by all classes where it is legal.
Polygamy is illegal in every state of the United States, as well as in most every democratic country.
No. Polygamy is not legal anywhere in the US.
As Jordan is a Muslim country, men may have up to four wives (with constraints like consent and necessity also applying); this form of polygamy is called polygyny. However, women may not have more than one husband.
Polygamy is illegal in every state of the United States of America.
Polygamy is illegal in Canada.
Polygamy was legal for the Ancient Egyptians. Although polygamy was legal it was generally only practiced by the wealthy the prospect of paying maintenance to several women must have reduced the practice.