The World’s 25 Safest Countries for LGBTQ Travelers

For most lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer travelers, planning a trip often involves researching local attitudes and relevant laws. One helpful resource is the 2025 Gay Travel Index, a comprehensive ranking of the world’s safest and least-safe countries for queer travelers to explore.

The 2025 Gay Travel Index was published by Spartacus, a Berlin, Germany–based international gay travel guide that makes travel recommendations for the queer population. It ranks 216 countries and regions around the world based on 18 categories, including whether same-sex marriage has been legalized, transgender protections, LGBTQ worker rights, antidiscrimination laws, criminalization of hate crimes, and adoption recognition. The survey also considers whether same-sex acts are illegal and what the legal punishment is.

So, which are the safest countries for queer travelers to visit? According to the 2025 index, five countries tied for the top spot: Canada, Malta, Spain, Portugal, and Iceland. This marked the first time that Iceland has ranked at the top of the list.

These are the top 25 safest countries for LGBTQ travelers, according to the 2025 Gay Travel Index (the number in parentheses is the ranking, as numerous countries shared the same ranking on this list).

1. Canada (1)
2. Iceland (1)
3. Malta (1)
4. Portugal (1)
5. Spain (1)
6. Germany (6)
7. New Zealand (6)
8. Australia (8)
9. Norway (8)
10. Switzerland (8)
11. Uruguay (8)
12. Belgium (12)
13. Chile (12)
14. Denmark (12)
15. Argentina (15)
16. Austria (15)
17. Finland (15)
18. Greece (15)
19. Greenland (15)
20. Ireland (15)
21. Luxembourg (15)
22. Netherlands (15)
23. Sweden (15)
24. Taiwan (15)
25. United Kingdom (15)

The United States ranked 48th overall, alongside Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Liechtenstein. The 2025 Gay Travel Index noted that several countries saw noticeable gains, including Greece, Thailand, and Curaçao, which have all recently introduced laws protecting marriage equality.

At the bottom of the list are Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan, countries where homosexuality is punishable by death.

The 2025 Gay Travel Index also includes a separate ranking specifically for U.S. states, with New York, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., topping that list. At the bottom are Oklahoma, Montana, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Alabama.

While the 2025 Gay Travel Index provides important safety insight for queer travelers considering international adventures, it’s important to remember that measuring one’s level of safety—at home or abroad—is never quite as simple as referring to a report. The contributing factors are helpful indicators of overall attitudes within a given culture, but of course, national laws don’t always reflect local opinions, and each traveler’s decisions and comfort levels are unique.

This article originally appeared online in 2019. It was most recently updated on June 4, 2025, to include current information.