LGBT Equality Index

The most LGBT-Friendly Countries in the World.

The Equality Index measures the current status of LGBT rights, laws, and freedoms as well as public attitudes towards LGBT people.
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Equality Index ?
0 (Less Equal)
100 (More Equal)

Public Opinion vs. Legal Rights

North America
South America
Europe
Africa
Asia
Oceania

Equality Index by Continent

Average LGBTQ+ Equality Index scores of each continent.

ContinentEquality IndexLegal IndexPublic Opinion Index
South America 12 countries
60 / 100
75 / 100
45 / 100
Europe 50 countries
60
73
47
Oceania 14 countries
44
48
45
North America 23 countries
44
54
35
Asia 44 countries
31
33
30
Africa 54 countries
25
29
20

Equality Index by Region

Australia and New Zealand, the Nordic countries, and parts of Europe rank highest in terms of the Equality Index while the Middle East and most of Africa (with the exception of South Africa) rank lowest — both in terms of legal protections and public opinion.

RegionEquality IndexLegal IndexPublic Opinion Index
Nordic Countries 5 countries
85 / 100
92 / 100
78 / 100
North America 2 countries
79
95
64
Australia and New Zealand 2 countries
78
92
64
British Islands 2 countries
74
86
61
Western Europe 9 countries
73
82
64
Southern Europe 16 countries
60
75
47
South America 12 countries
60
75
45
Baltic Countries 3 countries
52
69
35
Central America 8 countries
50
58
42
Eastern Europe 10 countries
46
58
33
Eastern Asia 6 countries
45
53
43
Micronesia 5 countries
45
48
16
Southern Africa 5 countries
44
53
36
Southeast Asia 11 countries
39
42
39
Melanesia 4 countries
38
42
34
Caribbean 13 countries
36
46
25
Central Africa 9 countries
33
40
23
Polynesia 3 countries
29
29
Not enough data
Southern and Central Asia 14 countries
29
32
26
Middle East 18 countries
24
29
21
Eastern Africa 17 countries
24
27
19
Western Africa 16 countries
23
28
15
Northern Africa 7 countries
13
8
18
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Largest Disparities

Regions where legal progress and public views don't align. Comparing the legal rights and the public opinion highlights regions where the public's support has advanced past (or fallen behind) legal progress. These may be potential areas for advocacy and change. (Countries without public opinion data are excluded.)

Public Opinion Ahead of Legal Progress

CountryLegal IndexPublic Opinion IndexDifference
1. Uganda0 / 10025 / 100+25
2. United Arab Emirates025+25
3. Cape Verde5277+25
4. Saudi Arabia325+22
5. Belize4668+22
6. Algeria522+18
7. Sri Lanka2037+17
8. Yemen017+17
9. Iraq622+16
10. Mauritania016+16

Legal Progress Ahead of Public Opinion

CountryLegal IndexPublic Opinion IndexDifference
1. Moldova64 / 1008 / 100-55
2. Antigua and Barbuda7017-53
3. Georgia6512-52
4. Bolivia8634-52
5. Greece9343-50
6. Estonia9042-48
7. Croatia8235-47
8. Cyprus8336-47
9. Colombia9852-46
10. Ecuador8238-44
New for developers: The Equality Index is now available via Equaldex's API.

World Equality Index

Which countries are the most LGBT-friendly?

The Legal Index scores the legal rights and freedoms LGBTQ+ people have while the Public Opinion Index scores how the general public feels in each region.

CountryEquality IndexLegal IndexPublic Opinion Index
1. Iceland92 / 10097 / 10087 / 100
2. Norway899385
3. Denmark879679
4. Malta8610072
5. Canada8310066
6. Uruguay839373
7. Netherlands829570
8. Andorra828974
9. Spain819369
10. Chile8010060
11. Finland809069
12. Germany799564
13. Luxembourg798573
14. Australia799364
15. Brazil799860
16. Cuba788473
17. New Zealand779164
18. Sweden778569
19. Belgium779163
20. France779361
21. Argentina769161
22. United States769061
23. Colombia759852
24. Mexico759257
25. Austria758762
26. Portugal758961
27. United Kingdom748761
28. Nepal738661
29. Ireland738561
30. South Africa728758
31. Switzerland697860
32. Italy687661
33. Slovenia688651
34. San Marino686571
35. Costa Rica688650
36. Greece689343
37. Liechtenstein666369
38. Estonia669042
39. Czech Republic656763
40. Cape Verde655277
41. Japan647256
42. Israel648444
43. Barbados635967
44. Thailand626262
45. Marshall Islands6262
46. Taiwan617548
47. Fiji6161
48. Peru607545
49. Angola606951
50. Ecuador608238
51. India606654
52. Bolivia608634
53. Cyprus598336
54. Croatia588235
55. Belize574668
56. Philippines575558
57. Mauritius556249
58. Poland556545
59. Vietnam556049
60. Hungary546543
61. Federated States of Micronesia5454
62. Montenegro537432
63. Seychelles5252
64. Cambodia525449
65. Singapore525251
66. Monaco525351
67. Latvia516538
68. Mozambique516042
69. Ukraine516339
70. Nauru5151
71. Venezuela505447
72. Botswana506535
73. Laos495147
74. Romania486037
75. Vanuatu486234
76. Bhutan485640
77. Sao Tome and Principe475243
78. Bosnia and Herzegovina476727
79. Guinea-Bissau4747
80. Equatorial Guinea4747
81. Slovakia475836
82. Serbia476430
83. China464645
84. Kosovo456427
85. Albania456229
86. South Korea444445
87. Nicaragua434938
88. North Macedonia436225
89. Honduras435829
90. Antigua and Barbuda437017
91. Mongolia436521
92. Bulgaria436124
93. Suriname415923
94. Bahrain403842
95. Lesotho405030
96. Dominican Republic404831
97. Lithuania405327
98. Turkey394334
99. Georgia386512
100. Trinidad and Tobago384828
101. Namibia384234
102. Guatemala384630
103. El Salvador384134
104. Panama374431
105. Tajikistan3737
106. Moldova36648
107. Saint Kitts and Nevis355615
108. Madagascar354723
109. Samoa3535
110. Central African Republic3535
111. Djibouti3535
112. Vatican City3333
113. Paraguay333927
114. Republic of the Congo324520
115. Benin324519
116. Timor-Leste314814
117. Bahamas304516
118. Gabon304714
119. Palau304416
120. Kiribati3030
121. Pakistan302831
122. Belarus294316
123. Kazakhstan294612
124. Tonga2929
125. Mali294612
126. Burkina Faso29517
127. Russia293721
128. Indonesia284512
129. Sri Lanka282037
130. Haiti284411
131. Armenia27496
132. Niger274113
133. Rwanda27468
134. Bangladesh272331
135. Azerbaijan27486
136. Papua New Guinea2727
137. Kyrgyzstan264112
138. Grenada253317
139. Jamaica243118
140. Côte d’Ivoire243414
141. Guyana242523
142. Tuvalu2323
143. Myanmar231927
144. Democratic Republic of the Congo233610
145. Eswatini232322
146. Saint Lucia222817
147. Jordan22386
148. Zimbabwe21349
149. Syria211427
150. Liberia202812
151. Dominica192314
152. Solomon Islands1818
153. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines18298
154. Kenya181817
155. Lebanon171619
156. South Sudan1717
157. Sierra Leone16267
158. Chad162012
159. Comoros161616
160. Togo161714
161. Burundi162110
162. Guinea151713
163. Kuwait1515
164. Tunisia141217
165. Iraq14622
166. Maldives14208
167. Saudi Arabia14325
168. North Korea1414
169. Algeria13522
170. Malaysia13819
171. Malawi13224
172. Uzbekistan13818
173. Uganda13025
174. United Arab Emirates13025
175. Zambia13196
176. Tanzania12718
177. Sudan12718
178. Egypt12816
179. Morocco11616
180. Senegal11174
181. Libya11319
182. Ethiopia10614
183. Cameroon10811
184. Gambia9144
185. Turkmenistan88
186. Yemen8017
187. Mauritania8016
188. Eritrea88
189. Qatar769
190. Ghana759
191. Somalia77
192. Palestine676
193. Nigeria667
194. Oman66
195. Iran453
196. Brunei33
197. Afghanistan102

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 LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, 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 different 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 serve 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 score of 0.)

If the status of an issue is unknown, not applicable, or no data has not been added to Equaldex, the issue's score is completely discarded and not included in the ranking. In cases where a law varies throughout a region (for example, a country where same-sex marriage is legal in some states or provinces but not others), the score is averaged among all states or provinces, weighted equally.

Past laws that are no longer in effect do not impact the region's current score. New laws that have not gone into effect yet will not impact the region's score until the day it goes into effect.

Legal Index

(Total Possible Score for each issue × Factor of Status of Issue) / Sum of all Total Possible Scores

IssueTotal Possible ScoreStatusFactor
Homosexual activity100Legal×1.00
Male illegal, female uncertain×0.20
Male illegal, female legal×0.20
Illegal (other penalty)×0.15
Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)×0.10
Illegal (up to life in prison as punishment)×0.05
Illegal (death penalty as punishment)×0.00
Same-sex marriage60Legal×1.00
Civil unions×0.70
Other type of partnership×0.50
Foreign same-sex marriages recognized only×0.40
Unregistered cohabitation×0.30
Unrecognized×0.10
Unrecognized, same-sex marriage and civil unions banned×0.05
Not legal×0.00
Censorship of LGBT Issues40No censorship×1.00
State-enforced×0.30
Fine as punishment×0.20
Other punishment×0.10
Imprisonment as punishment×0.00
Right to change legal gender40Legal, no restrictions×1.00
Legal, but requires medical diagnosis×0.70
Legal, but requires surgery×0.40
Illegal×0.00
Legal recognition of non-binary gender30Recognized×1.00
Intersex only×0.70
Not legally recognized×0.00
LGBT discrimination20Illegal×1.00
Illegal in some contexts×0.50
No protections×0.00
LGBT employment discrimination20Sexual orientation and gender identity×1.00
Gender identity only×0.50
Sexual orientation only×0.50
No protections×0.00
LGBT housing discrimination20Sexual orientation and gender identity×1.00
Gender identity only×0.50
Sexual orientation only×0.50
No protections×0.00
Same-sex adoption20Legal×1.00
Married couples only×0.50
Single only×0.40
Step-child adoption only×0.20
Illegal×0.00
Serving openly in military20Legal×1.00
Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned×0.70
Don't Ask, Don't Tell×0.50
Illegal×0.00
Blood donations by MSMs10Legal×1.00
Legal with restrictions×0.80
Banned (3-month deferral)×0.30
Banned (6-month deferral)×0.20
Banned (1-year deferral)×0.15
Banned (5-year deferral)×0.10
Banned (indefinite deferral)×0.00
Conversion therapy10Banned×1.00
Not banned×0.00
Equal age of consent10Equal×1.00
Unequal×0.00

Public Opinion Index

The LGBT public opinion index measures the public attitudes towards LGBT people using surveys and polls from reputable organizations. This index is scored based on averaging the results of all surveys in a given region. Generally, the value averaged is usually the most “equal” response in the poll. For example, if a poll asked “Do you support same-sex marriage?” and 56% of people said “yes”, the value “56” would be used. In some cases, a survey may be weighted less if the survey is very specific or includes a specific group of people (such as Christians) and might not be a full representation of the overall attitudes of the region.

To better represent current attitudes, surveys are scored using a time-decay weighting method based on the date published. This means that the most recent surveys carry more weight in the public opinion index. Surveys from the current year and the previous year receive full weight. However, for surveys older than two years, an exponential decay of 75% applies each year. This weight decay ensures that the public opinion index is always most influenced by the most recent data, reflecting evolving public attitudes, while still taking into account older surveys to maintain a comprehensive overview. This change went into effect on July 21, 2023.

Note that public opinion data is not available in every region. In these cases, the Equality Index will only be a representation of the legal rights of LGBT people in the region. Additionally, some regions have no recent public opinion data available, so older data is used to score the region.

Public Opinion Index

(Survey Results Value × Survey Weight × Time Decay Factor) / (Survey Weight × Time Decay Factor)

Year Survey Published Time Decay Factor
2024 (current year)0.7501
20230.7501
20220.7510.75
20210.7520.5625
20200.7530.421875
20190.7540.31640625
20180.7550.2373046875
20170.7560.177978515625
20160.7570.13348388671875
20150.7580.10011291503906
20140.7590.075084686279297
(etc.)

Notes

  • Equaldex's Equality Index is constantly being improved and tracking it over time may not represent changes in equality over time. As more data is contributed to Equaldex, the index becomes more accurate. For example, adding survey results to a region will likely change the region's Equality Index — even more so if there is limited data on the region. In this case, the change in score could represent a change in attitudes in the region, but it may also just be an increase in the index's accuracy.
  • Global opinion surveys rarely include transgender topics. Especially in more conservative regions, surveys are usually limited to homosexuality or same-sex marriage. Equaldex continues to seek more international transgender public opinion data to make the Equality Index more inclusive.
  • The model for the Equality Index is evolving, and adjustments to weights and other parameters are likely as we continue to improve its accuracy and relevance.
  • The Equality Index is updated automatically as data is added to Equaldex and as new laws go into effect. When a new law or survey is added to Equaldex, the index will recalculate within a few hours.