Top lgbtq friendly countries

1. Mexico

Of the 65 countries I’ve visited so far, Mexico is my favorite place to be queer. I’ve never spent age in a place where queer culture felt so ingrained in my everyday life (maybe with the exception of my abode country of the UK) and in my personal experience, it seemed to be one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world.

I felt like I could be my proudest, most bold queer self while in Mexico, and that's why I’m pretty certain I’ll end up back there one day.

From a legal perspective, there are formidable anti-discrimination laws in place to protect queer residents from animosity crimes, and transgender rights are also pretty progressive. Non-binary gender identity is recognized (gender reassignment surgery isn't required to legally change gender), gender-affirming care is legal, and the government chose to ban conversion therapy back in   

I’ve spent a couple of years living on and off in Mexico and hold based myself in a not many different cities, so I’m sharing my top three spots:

Mexico Metropolis for the Huge Gay Pride Parade

Mexico City (CDMX) is house to one

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

Europe has long 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 undertake a lot better than most. That’s why we’re unveiling the 20 most LGBTQ+ friendly countries in Europe in Each noun has been carefully selected for its vibrant LGBTQ+ 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.

Estonia

Points: 26/50

Estonia is the most LGBT-friendly country in the Baltic and has risen in the ranks to become one of Europe’s top 20 LGBT-friendly countries in the past five years

Rainbow Map

rainbow map

These are the main findings for the edition of the rainbow map

The Rainbow Map ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from %.

The UK has dropped six places in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, as Hungary and Georgia also register steep falls following anti-LGBTI legislation. The data highlights how rollbacks on LGBTI human rights are part of a broader erosion of democratic protections across Europe. Read more in our press release.

“Moves in the UK, Hungary, Georgia and beyond signal not just isolated regressions, but a coordinated global backlash aimed at erasing LGBTI rights, cynically framed as the defence of tradition or public stability, but in reality designed to entrench discrimination and suppress dissent.”

  • Katrin Hugendubel, Advocacy Director, ILGA-Europe


Malta has sat on top of the ranking for the last 10 years. 

With 85 points, Belgium jumped to second place after adopting policies tackling hatred based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. 

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, ’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 project run by LGBTI organisation ILGA-Europe, ranks 49 European countries on their legal and policy practices for LGBTQ+ people on a scale from percent. 

The categories assessed include equality and non-discrimination, family, hate crime and hate speech, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily integrity, civil society space 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 solid percent in total, ranking perfectly in the ‘hate crime and speech’, ‘legal gender recogniti