20 Safest Countries For LGBTQ Travelers, Ranked In A New Report

What are the most LGBTQ friendly countries, and what are the most homophobic countries on earth? It’s a question that’s top of mind for many gay travelers as they consider where to go and evaluate the world’s safest and most dangerous places.

To find out the answers, journalists Lyric and Asher Fergusson—who run a travel site dedicated to safety—recently published a report called “The 203 Worst (& Safest) Countries for LGBTQ+ Travel in 2023,” which takes a close look at the state of travel around the world.

The list is based on 10 factors related to LGBTQ+ safety, including protections against discrimination, criminalization of violence, illegal same-sex relationships and more. Sources include Human Rights Watch, the Gallup World Poll and ILGA (the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Intersex Association), just to name a few. Along with the data, the team reviewed all countries’ individual laws to create an LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index that reflects the most current information in an ever-changing world.

The Fergussons started tracking the safest and most dangerous places for gay travelers in 2019 and have been updating the story annually since then. While things have improved in some places, there are still major issues—especially in the United States.

“Some great progress was made this year: Several countries legalized same-sex marriage and decriminalized same-sex relationships,” says Asher Fergusson. “Still, others like Russia and the United States are attempting to take steps backward, particularly with their approach to propaganda laws and anti-trans legislation. In the U.S., over 300 anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-trans laws were proposed in 2022 alone, which is very eye-opening to me.”

The Most LGBTQ Friendly Country

Canada ranks at the top of the 2023 list as the most LGBTQ friendly country on earth for the third year in a row. Coming in second on the list is Sweden, followed by the Netherlands. “Canada has a great legislative track record for LGBTQ+ rights,” says Fergusson. “They were one of the first countries to legalize same-sex marriage, they have constitutional anti-discrimination protections and the majority of Canadians report that it is a safe place to live for gay and lesbian people.”

But there’s still work to be done. “That being said, every single country, including Canada, has a long way to go in turning those laws into an on-the-ground reality,” says Fergusson. “One example of this is that Canada had 0.24 trans murders per million population over the past decade. Anything above 0 is too many.”

And the sobering news is that these problems don’t just happen in Canada: “Almost all of the top countries in the world for LGBTQ+ people have documented trans murders, which is just a testament to how far we still have to go to keep our LGBTQ+ communities safe,” says Fergusson.

LGBTQ Travel Safety: The Lowest Ranked Countries

According to the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, Brunei is the most dangerous country for gay travelers in 2023, followed by Saudia Arabia and Nigeria. In 2019, Brunei passed a penal code that made homosexual acts punishable by death by stoning. Nigeria and Saudi Arabia still utilize the death penalty as a possible punishment for being LGBTQ+, while lesser punishments can include lashings, flogging or life in prison. Nigeria even criminalizes the discussion of LGBT rights and gender expression.

“Not only do LGBTQ+ people not have rights, but they are also actively targeted and imprisoned for their sexual identities and gender expression,” says Fergusson. “All three of these countries have the death penalty on the books for convicted gay relationships.”

The good news (if there can be any good news): “Luckily, however, these death penalty laws are rarely (if ever) enforced. Being anything but heteronormative is incredibly dangerous and punishable by imprisonment in 64 other countries on the list,” says Fergusson.

LGBTQ Rights in the U.S.

This year, the U.S. fell one point on the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index, placing 25th this year compared to 24th last year. “Other countries are developing their legislation much faster and at a country-wide level while the U.S. tends to lag behind, especially in certain states,” says Fergusson.

As Fergusson points out: There are parts of America that are very progressive and would be considered safe. “Nevertheless, there are other states where gay, trans and non-binary people are targets, both legislatively and in their day-to-day lives,” he says.

Another frustrating revelation: “It is disappointing to see in the U.S. that LGBTQ+ rights are increasingly being used as a political tool for hate,” says Fergusson. “In fact, according to ACLED, acts of political violence in 2022 targeting the LGBTQ+ community have more than tripled in the US when compared to 2021.”

The Changing Landscape for LGBTQ+ Travelers

Legislation is always in flux around the world, with new laws and guidelines affecting the lives of LGBTQ+ people everywhere—for better or worse. “The harsh reality is that the majority of the world is still far from safe for LGBTQ+ people,” says Fergusson.

So is there any good news? “There’s a lot of good news this year, and we hope to see more as 2023 progresses,” says Fergusson.

Some of the notable changes since Fergusson started doing this report in 2019: 15 new countries have either legalized gay marriage or allowed same-sex couples to register as civil unions. And in the past 12 months alone, Switzerland, Slovenia and Cuba have legalized gay marriage, while Singapore, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Barbados and Antigua & Barbuda decriminalized same-sex relationships. New Zealand is making it easier for trans people to change their legal gender identification without surgery. Croatia expanded its adoption rights for same-sex couples.

However, some countries have rolled back certain rights or created ambiguous rulings where they used to be more clear-cut.

An example of this is Indonesia, which passed a law in 2022 that makes sex outside of marriage a criminal offense, with imprisonment as punishment. “This law doesn’t directly address the LGBTQ+ community, but in a country where same-sex marriage isn’t legal, same-sex relationships become de facto illegal,” says Fergusson.

Other countries are rolling out extremely slow changes and approving marriages on an individual basis. “For instance, in Bolivia gay marriage isn’t ‘legal’ but a handful of couples have been able to register their marriage by petitioning the courts,” says Fergusson.

Another challenge: While some of the world is catching up to equal rights for gay and lesbian couples, transgender and non-binary people still have the furthest way to go. “Some countries allow for legal gender change for trans people, but these countries are in the minority,” says Fergusson. “Other countries will allow for legal gender ID changes only if extreme measures are taken (such as surgery) and bureaucratic hoops are jumped through. Many countries have pending legislation but are stuck in limbo and aren't pushing anything forward. This can be especially frustrating for people who are endlessly waiting for even the most basic rights.”

Ultimately, it will take shifts in society to create true change because—as Fergusson points out—laws will only take you so far. “You can institute all the laws you want, but at the end of the day, if the local people don’t become more compassionate and accepting of their LGBTQ+ neighbors then we’ll still have tension in society which leads to violence and other kinds of unsafe situations,” says Fergusson.

Read on for the 20 safest and the 20 most dangerous places in the LGBTQ+ Travel Safety Index. See the entire world rankings and important safety tips here.

20 Safest Countries For LGBTQ Travelers

1. Canada
2. Sweden
3. The Netherlands
4. Malta
5. Norway
6. Portugal
7. Spain
8. Denmark
9. Belgium
10. United Kingdom
11. France
12. Iceland
13. Switzerland
14. Ireland
15. Luxembourg
16. South Africa
17. Germany
18. Chile
19. Uruguay
20. Austria

20 Lowest Ranked Countries For LGBTQ Travelers

1. Brunei
2. Saudi Arabia
3. Nigeria
4. Kuwait
5. Malawi
6. Guyana
7. UAE
8. Malaysia
9. Sudan
10. Libya
11. Yemen
12. Oman
13. Mauritania
14. Somalia
15. Gambia
16. Afghanistan
17. Qatar
18. Tonga
19. Tanzania
20. South Sedan

READ MORE:

• Report Ranks America’s 15 Safest (And Most Dangerous) Cities For 2023

• Quit Your Job And Move Abroad: 10 Cheapest Places To Live