With February observed as LGBTQ+ History Month, local SEO agency Reboot collected data surrounding worldwide LGBTQ+ rights to decide which country is the safest for the queer community.
To do this, 10 categories were analyzed per country, including societal acceptance, homosexual activity, same sex marriage, censorship, gender reassignment, discrimination, employability, housing and the ability to adopt a child.
The data was then scored out of 10 to easily compare over 160 countries and accurately create the top 10 safest countries to live in if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
The data set linked below also shows the most dangerous countries to live in as an LGBTQ+ person.
Safest Country to Live in for LGBTQ+ People Rank Country Score 1 Iceland 9.97/10 2 Netherlands 9.92/10 3 Norway 9.91/10 4 Sweden 9.88/10 5 Canada 9.85/10 6 Spain 9.82/10 7 Denmark 9.80/10 8 United Kingdom 9.75/10 9 Malta 9.70/10 10 Belgium 9.69/10
All of the top 10 safest countries to live in as an LGBTQ+ person is in Europe. They also have legalized LGBTQ+ marriage, gender reassignment, and LGBTQ+ opportunities to adopt.
In addition to this they also have minimal discrimination with employment and housing opportunities being almost identical to a cisgender straight person. There are also lower hate crime reports in these locations.
These countries also have little to no censorship surrounding the LGBTQ+ community, with the community being encouraged through safe spaces, gay bars and strict laws for homophobic behavior.
All of these positive advancements for the queer community have made these some of the safest places in the world to live as an openly queer person.
The primary difference with the top 10 are societal views, measured by international surveys and government data. This varied slightly between each country and is one of the key differences in European countries that have legalised same sex marriage.
Coming out on top was Iceland with a very impressive 9.97/10, scoring almost perfectly in laws, protection and societal views on the LGBTQ+ community.
The acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in Iceland is the most progressive and advanced in the entire world, setting a high standard for all other countries to strive for.
The Philippines ranked 75 in the list, with an overall score of 5.83/10.
Please find the full data set here.
