The Most LGBTQ-friendly Countries in Europe and the World

June 24, 2020

Photo: Unsplash.com

In honour of Pride Month, we take a look at the most LGBTQ-friendly places in the world for 2020. From the US to Europe and the world, some of the top-ranked destinations might just surprise you...

Europe

ILGA-Europe, an LGBTQ advocacy group, has released its annual Rainbow Europe Country Ranking for 2020, which was funded by the European Union.

The ranking includes all 49 European countries and takes into consideration each country’s laws and policies that affect LGBTQ people, with factors including equality, freedom of expression, nondiscrimination policies and hate speech laws.

Based on ILGA-Europe’s 2020 ranking, here are the top 10 most LGBTQ-friendly countries in Europe:

Malta
Belgium
Luxembourg
Denmark
Norway
Spain
Portugal
Finland
United Kingdom
Sweden

See the full ranking at ILGA-Europe

The US

Over in the US, the LGBT+ Travel Index 2020 by custom travel company OutofOffice.com has also just been released with all 50 states ranked by LGBTQ-friendliness. Not surprisingly, California came out on top while Alaska was revealed to be the worst place for LGBTQ people, in terms of legal protection for LGBT+ people, LGBT+ population and overall happiness.

According to the LGBT+ Travel Index 2020, the top 10 LGBTQ-friendly states in the US are:

California
Washington
Minnesota
Colorado
New York
Nevada
Massachusetts
Maryland
Illinois
Texas

See the full list at LGBT+ Travel Index 2020

World

The Nomadic Boys gay travel blog has been publishing a list of the most “gay-friendly countries in the world” annually, which include comprehensive details on LGBTQ rights, gay marriage, pride events and gay travel in the respective country. For 2020, their top 10 gay-friendly countries include: