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.
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
61
73
49
Europe 50 countries
59
71
46
North America 23 countries
45
57
33
Oceania 14 countries
43
47
44
Asia 44 countries
32
35
31
Africa 53 countries
25
28
22

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
81
88
75
Australia and New Zealand 2 countries
76
88
63
North America 2 countries
75
91
60
British Isles 2 countries
71
83
60
Western Europe 9 countries
71
82
60
South America 12 countries
61
73
49
Southern Europe 16 countries
61
75
47
Eastern Asia 6 countries
53
61
46
Baltic Countries 3 countries
50
66
35
Central America 8 countries
49
60
39
Southern Africa 5 countries
49
57
40
Eastern Europe 10 countries
44
56
33
Micronesia 5 countries
44
47
16
Caribbean 13 countries
38
50
25
Melanesia 4 countries
37
41
34
Southeast Asia 11 countries
37
38
40
Central Africa 9 countries
33
39
22
Southern and Central Asia 14 countries
32
36
26
Polynesia 3 countries
27
27
Not enough data
Middle East 18 countries
24
29
20
Eastern Africa 17 countries
23
25
22
Western Africa 15 countries
21
25
17
Northern Africa 7 countries
13
9
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. Guyana2253+32
2. Cape Verde5180+29
3. United Arab Emirates025+25
4. Algeria322+19
5. Iraq422+18
6. Saudi Arabia725+18
7. Yemen017+17
8. Barbados5571+16
9. Mauritania218+16
10. China5166+15

Legal Progress Ahead of Public Opinion

CountryLegal IndexPublic Opinion IndexDifference
1. Antigua and Barbuda8517-68
2. Moldova638-54
3. Greece9339-54
4. Croatia8134-48
5. Bolivia8133-48
6. Malta10053-47
7. Kazakhstan5912-47
8. Cyprus8036-44
9. Ecuador8541-44
10. Mongolia6522-44

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. Iceland939590
2. Norway878787
3. Spain8310067
4. Uruguay839373
5. Germany8110062
6. Chile8110061
7. Denmark809367
8. Andorra808674
9. Canada799563
10. Netherlands789066
11. Brazil789857
12. Malta7610053
13. Portugal769360
14. Australia769062
15. Cuba758170
16. New Zealand758764
17. France759059
18. Austria759159
19. Argentina748762
20. Belgium748761
21. Finland748563
22. Colombia739552
23. Sweden738066
24. Mexico738956
25. Ireland728559
26. United States718656
27. South Africa718459
28. United Kingdom718061
29. Italy707960
30. Switzerland697564
31. Nepal697861
32. Luxembourg688253
33. San Marino676471*
34. Liechtenstein676668
35. Greece669339
36. Costa Rica668349
37. Cape Verde665180
38. Slovenia668448
39. Czech Republic657357
40. Taiwan648148
41. Estonia648443
42. Ecuador638541
43. Barbados635571
44. Thailand625768
45. Japan627053
46. India616556
47. Seychelles605366*
48. Peru597246
49. Israel597147
50. China595166
51. Cyprus588036
52. Croatia588134
53. Bolivia578133
54. Philippines575658
55. Marshall Islands5656
56. Monaco555951*
57. Angola557040
58. Mauritius545553
59. Belize545553*
60. Venezuela545256
61. Vietnam545849
62. Fiji5454
63. Montenegro547136
64. Poland536244
65. Namibia536442
66. Federated States of Micronesia5353
67. Mozambique536046
68. South Korea526441
69. Singapore525351
70. Cambodia525449
71. Hungary516141
72. Bosnia and Herzegovina516339
73. Antigua and Barbuda518517*
74. Slovakia516933
75. Ukraine506041
76. Botswana495939
77. Latvia496335
78. North Macedonia496434
79. Laos484947*
80. Sao Tome and Principe485244
81. Serbia486234
82. Vanuatu476134*
83. Nauru4747
84. Albania476430
85. Bhutan475340*
86. Tajikistan4747
87. Kosovo476033
88. Romania465834
89. Equatorial Guinea4545
90. Mongolia436522
91. Nicaragua434937
92. Lesotho435729
93. Honduras435927
94. El Salvador404733
95. Dominican Republic404931
96. Turkey394336
97. Guatemala394929
98. Panama384730
99. Lithuania385126
100. Bahrain383442*
101. Trinidad and Tobago384828
102. Bulgaria384927
103. North Korea3838
104. Guyana382253
105. Central African Republic3737
106. Suriname365023
107. Kazakhstan365912
108. Saint Kitts and Nevis365715*
109. Moldova35638
110. Guinea-Bissau344424*
111. Kiribati3333
112. Republic of the Congo334422
113. Djibouti3333
114. Paraguay323926
115. Dominica325014*
116. Bahamas314616
117. Madagascar314419
118. Vatican City3131
119. Gabon314616
120. Pakistan313031
121. Sri Lanka302437
122. Timor-Leste304614*
123. Benin304218
124. Turkmenistan3030
125. Palau304316*
126. Georgia294712
127. Samoa2929
128. Burkina Faso29499
129. Tonga2929
130. Haiti294611
131. Belarus284016
132. Kyrgyzstan284512
133. Rwanda28488
134. Papua New Guinea2828
135. Bangladesh272331
136. Armenia27486
137. Eswatini272132
138. Grenada263517
139. Azerbaijan26466
140. Côte d’Ivoire253515
141. Jamaica253218
142. Niger243910
143. Saint Lucia243217*
144. Jordan23416
145. Russia232422
146. Tuvalu2323
147. Syria221827*
148. Palestine22396
149. Myanmar221627
150. Solomon Islands2222
151. Democratic Republic of the Congo213310*
152. Kenya212517
153. Lebanon202119
154. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines20328*
155. Uzbekistan192018*
156. Liberia192711
157. Ghana191621
158. South Sudan1616
159. Saudi Arabia16725
160. Malaysia16923
161. Zimbabwe162110
162. Tunisia161615
163. Comoros161516*
164. Maldives15238*
165. Sierra Leone15247
166. Chad151712
167. Indonesia151712
168. Togo151614
169. Guinea151712
170. Morocco131116
171. Iraq13422
172. Eritrea1313
173. Algeria13322
174. United Arab Emirates13025
175. Sudan13619
176. Egypt11716
177. Libya11419
178. Tanzania11814
179. Uganda10318
180. Mauritania10218
181. Burundi101010*
182. Malawi10155
183. Qatar10109*
184. Ethiopia10713
185. Cameroon9512
186. Gambia8125
187. Yemen8017*
188. Kuwait776*
189. Zambia666
190. Nigeria538
191. Brunei55
192. Iran563
193. Senegal434
194. Oman22
195. Somalia22
196. Afghanistan102*
* Region's public opinion data is based on less than three surveys

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 legal×0.20
Male illegal, female uncertain×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 (marriage rights)×0.80
Civil unions (limited rights)×0.70
Other type of partnership×0.50
Foreign same-sex marriages recognized only×0.40
Unregistered cohabitation×0.30
Unrecognized×0.10
Banned×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
Gender-affirming care20Legal×1.00
Legal, but restricted for minors×0.70
Legal, but banned for minors×0.50
Restricted×0.30
Banned×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
Second parent adoption only×0.40
Single only×0.20
Illegal×0.00
Intersex infant surgery20Full ban×1.00
Parental approval required×0.30
Not banned×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 (less than 6-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
Sexual orientation only×0.50
Not banned×0.00
Equal age of consent10Equal×1.00
Female equal, male N/A×0.75
Female equal, male unequal×0.50
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.