Identifying as part of the LGBTQIA community, and considering heading to Europe? It may be worth considering the best – and yes, worst – European countries for those who live under the rainbow.
Malta, Belgium and Luxembourg came at at the top of the list of 49 nations ranked based on legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, according to a new assessment from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Armenia are the worst countries in Europe for LGBTI rights.
With each nation receiving a score from 0-100%, Malta received 90% and Azerbaijan just 3%. These rankings are used to put together the “2019 Rainbow Europe Map”, a campaign from ILGA-Europe that looked at 69 key factors in every country in Europe, including equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition and bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum.


The Top 10 most LGBT-friendly countries in Europe (2019):
- Malta
- Belgium
- Luxembourg
- Finland
- Denmark
- Norway
- Portugal
- France
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
The Top 10 least LGBT-friendly countries in Europe(2019):
- Azerbaijan
- Turkey
- Armenia
- Russia
- Monaco
- San Marino
- Belarus
- Liechtenstein
- Moldova
- Latvia
