Almost one in three adults globally support same-sex marriage, a survey of almost 100,000 people in 65 countries shows, while more than half of Oceania respondents were in favour of it.
Some 32 per cent said same-sex marriage should be legal, while 45 per cent said it should not be, and the remaining 23 per cent replied they did not know, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) survey said on Tuesday.
Gay couples are legally recognised in more than 20 world countries, mostly in Europe and the Americas, but Australia is yet to legalise it.
The rights group said a breakdown of the results highlighted deep regional divisions.
Only 19 per cent of respondents in Africa and 26 per cent in Asia said they approved of same-sex marriage, against 35 per cent in the Americas, 41 per cent in Europe and 56 per cent in Oceania the online survey found.
The divisions reflect that rights advocates in Africa and Asia have focused on more pressing issues, such as fighting discrimination against gays rather than promoting acceptance of same-sex marriage, said study co-author Aengus Carroll.
"This is so far off the agenda for Africa and Asia," Carroll told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
An ILGA survey published earlier this year found two-thirds of adults would be upset if their child told them they were in love with someone of the same sex.
