While sharp divisions remain by region, countries the world over are seeing rising acceptance of being gay

Mexico City - Acceptance of homosexuality is rising broadly across the world, according to a survey published on Thursday, even as sharp divisions persist by region and economic development.

Support has grown from as far a field as Kenya to the United States, the Pew Research Center survey found, with an average of 52% of people across 34 countries saying homosexuality should be accepted, versus 38% against.

Many countries saw a considerable jump in acceptance from the inaugural survey of 2002, including a 21-point increase in South Africa and a 19-point rise in South Korea.

Around the world, laws favoring LGBT+ rights have broadly increased: since the Netherlands became the first country to legalize same-sex marriage in 2001, 27 other United Nations member states have passed laws that let gays and lesbians wed.

Many of the countries that criminalize gay sex are in Africa, however, there, too, change is afoot, with lawmakers in Gabon's lower house of parliament voting to reverse the country's anti-gay sex law this week.