Is europe lgbtq friendly

Rainbow Guide 2023Download

Rainbow Index 2023Download

• Despite intense anti-LGBTI attacks in several countries, equality is still advancing across Europe.
• While the public discourse is becoming more polarised and vicious, particularly against gender non-conforming people, political determination to advance LGBTI rights is paying off. The largest gains on the map are for countries that introduced legal gender recognition using a self-determination model. Over the past 12 months bans on intersex genital mutilation (IGM) are also bringing countries up in the ranking.
• Spain jumped six places to number four with its introduction of LGR with self determination, alongside a ban on IGM, while Finland entered the top ten, again up six places, again with LGR based on self-determination. Greece has also moved up four places with its ban on IGM.
• Gender identity and sex characteristics are included in anti-discrimination and/or hate crime legislation, moving Belgium, Iceland and Moldova up the chart alongside Spain.
• Moldova has jumped 14 places because sexual orientation and gender culture have been positively included in legislation covering employment, teaching,
  
  

  From Switzerland to Spain, here are Europe’s most Diverse friendly countries.
  

  Europe has prolonged been seen as relatively progressive when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and thankfully it’s becoming even safer and more welcoming. But not all countries are equal  – especially when it comes to policies and general level of acceptance – and some countries do a lot better than most. That’s why we’re unveiling the 20 most Queer friendly countries in Europe in 2024. Each land has been carefully selected for its vibrant Gay scene, progressive laws, and inclusive atmosphere. We’ve created our own points system using respected benchmarking tools, including the IGLA Rainbow Europe and Equaldex, and combined this with other factors, such as the number of queer-friendly bars, festivals and events, and legislation. So, without further ado, here are 20 countries in Europe where love knows no bounds.

  20. Estonia

  Points: 26/50

  Estonia is the most LGBT-friendly country in the Baltic and has risen in the ranks to turn into one of Europe’s foremost 20 LGBT-friendly countries in the past five years. It was the first Baltic country to announce marriage equality, making it possible for sam
  

  The Mediterranean archipelago named Europe’s most LGBTQ+-friendly country

  From safety and discrimination laws to policies around gender recognition, a lot more goes into making a country queer-friendly than an annual Pride festival. Back for its seventeenth year, 2025’s edition of the Rainbow Map looks into all these factors and more to name Europe’s most (and least) LGBTQ+-friendly countries.

  The map, which is an annual plan run by LGBTI organisation ILGA-Europe, ranks 49 European countries on their legal and policy practices for LGBTQ+ people on a scale from 0-100 percent. 

  The categories assessed involve equality and non-discrimination, family, hate crime and hate speech, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily principles, civil society cosmos and asylum.  

  And, topping the list as the most LGBTQ+-friendly country in Europe for no less than the tenth consecutive year, is the sunny archipelago of Malta. It scored a firm 88.83 percent in total, ranking perfectly in the ‘hate crime and speech’, ‘legal gender recognition’ and ‘civil community space’ categories, developing on its 2024 sc
  

  The UK used to be Europe’s most LGBTQ+ warm country – now it’s fallen to 22nd

  For the past 17 years, international human rights group ILGA-Europe has published its Rainbow Blueprint and Index, celebrating the European countries that champion LGBTQ+ rights, and naming and shaming those that don’t. 

  Each year, the collective ranks 49 countries based on their legal and policy practices for Queer people. The index gives each country a score from 0-100 percent, looking at factors that include  equality and non-discrimination, family, hate crime and despise speech, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily integrity, civil society space and asylum. 

  The UK placed first in the ranking consecutively from 2011 to 2015, but since then has plummeted down the list and this year dropped from 16th to 22nd place – its lowest rank ever. 

  For 2025, the UK scored 45.65 percent, 10 percent below the EU average and just a short-lived above the overall European average. 

  While it scored highly for family and earned a 100 percent rating for civil society territory (people’s freedom of statement, right to assembly and funding), the country was given just 16.67
  

  LGBT Equality Index in Europe

  Equality Index Methodology

  Equaldex's Equality Index is a rating from 0 to 100 (with 100 being the most equal) to help visualize the legal rights and public attitudes towards Homosexual (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual , queer, questioning, intersex...) people in each region. The Equality Index is an average of two indexes: the legal index and the public opinion Index.

  Equality Index
  
  Average of Legal Index and Public Opinion Index

  Legal Index

  The LGBT legal index measures the current legal status of 13 diverse issues ranging from the legal status of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, LGBT discrimination protections, LGBT censorship laws, and more. Each topic is weighted differently (for example, if same-sex marriage is illegal in a region, it would have a much bigger impact on the score than not allowing LGBT people to assist in the military). Each topic is assigned a "total possible score" and a "score" is assigned based the status of the law using a rating scale that ranges from 0% to 100% (for example, if homosexuality is legal, it would would receive a score of 100, but if it's illegal, it would receve a scor