Lgbt rights in different countries

ILGA World maps are among the most shared visual representations of how LGBTIQ people are affected by laws and policies around the world.

The scope of our long-standing rights mapping has expanded thanks to the ILGA Society Database. With that platform, ILGA maps have become interactive and constantly updated, to better cover sexual orientationrefers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to - and intimate and sexual relations with - individuals of a diverse gender or the alike gender or more than one gender. More, gender identityrefers to a person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth. More and expression, and sex characteristicsa term that refers to physical features relating to sex - including genitalia and other sexual and reproductive anatomy, chromosomes, hormones, and secondary physical features emerging from puberty. More (SOGIESCabbreviation standing for sexual orientation and gender identity & phrase, and sex characteristics. More)

Rainbow Map

rainbow map

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

The Rainbow Blueprint 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 foremost 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. 

Marriage Equality Around the World

The Human Rights Campaign tracks developments in the legal recognition of same-sex marriage around the earth. Working through a worldwide network of HRC global alumni and partners, we lift up the voices of society, national and regional advocates and participate tools, resources, and lessons learned to empower movements for marriage equality.

Current State of Marriage Equality

There are currently 38 countries where same-sex marriage is legal: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the Combined Kingdom, the Together States of America and Uruguay. 

These countries have legalized marriage equality through both legislation and court decisions. 

Countries that Legalized Marriage Equality in

Liechtenstein: On May 16, , Liechtenstein's gove

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Criminalisation:

  • Criminalises LGBT people
  • Criminalises sexual activity between males
  • Criminalises sexual outing between females
  • Imposes the death penalty

Maximum punishment:

Death penalty

More info

Criminalisation:

  • Criminalises LGBT people
  • Criminalises sexual activity between males

Maximum punishment:

Life imprisonment

More info

Criminalisation:

  • Criminalises LGBT people
  • Criminalises sexual activity between males
  • Criminalises sexual exercise between females
  • Criminalises the gender statement of trans people
  • Imposes the death penalty

Maximum punishment:

Death by stoning

More info

Criminalisation:

  • Criminalises LGBT people
  • Criminalises sexual activity between males
  • Criminalises sexual activity between females
  • Criminalises the gender expression of transgender people
  • Maintains discriminatory age of consent

Maximum punishment:

Eight years imprisonment and lashes

More info

Criminalisation:

  • Criminalises