Malta, Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal are the most gay friendly countries for LGBTQIA+ travellers to venture to this year. Belgium stagnates and due to the advancing countries, it is now 21st on the list. 

The updated Spartacus Gay Travel Index provides an overview of the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people in a total of 213 countries and regions. In addition to Malta, which already took first place in 2023, Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal have now also moved to the top. 

In a separate ranking of the United States of America, the state of New York maintains first place.

Five on top

For the first time in the history of the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, which has been published since 2012, five countries are simultaneously at the top of the most LGBTQIA+ friendly travel destinations. Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal join Malta as the leading destination from last year. Switzerland and Australia follow immediately behind. Germany follows in 8th place, together with countries such as Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Uruguay.

New category, more countries

The 2024 index has been expanded to include the new category ‘censorship’ and now also takes into account laws that regulate the display of rainbow flags or the distribution of books with LGBTQIA+ content, for example. 

The index has also been expanded to include eleven more countries and entities: Guinea, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Sudan, Tuvalu, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Estonia is the big winner

With the passing of a law in 2023 to legalize marriage equality, Estonia makes a big leap forward and improves from 47th to 32nd place. The Baltic state is the first country in Eastern Europe to grant same-sex spouses the same rights as the heterosexual population. Thanks to the ban on conversion therapy, Norway is also one of this years winners, improving from 17th to 8th place.

Relegated and far end: Russia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iran and Saudi Arabia

The relegated country of the year is Russia, which has once again significantly tightened its legislation against the rainbow population and compares the LGBTQIA+ movement with extremist organiszations. 

While the Russian Federation was still ranked 177th in the Spartacus Gay Travel Index 2023, it has now been downgraded to 205th place and is therefore only a few places away from the far end Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iran and Saudi Arabia, which share 210th place.

Under observation: Thailand, Latin America and the USA

The countries under observation for 2024 are Thailand, the USA and some Latin American countries. 

With a bill to introduce marriage equality, Thailand has the chance to catch up with Taiwan (13th place) in the upcoming index in 2025. 

Following a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica in 2018 on the introduction of marriage equality, which is binding for twenty countries in the region, countries such as Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Honduras and Panama are under pressure to implement the ruling. 

Thanks to the implementation of a law introducing marriage equality by the Greek parliament in February 2024, Greece’s rise in the index for 2025 is already considered certain.

US elections

Particular attention is also being paid to the United States, where presidential elections are due to take place in November and further actions towards the LGBTIA+ population is to be feared by Republican win. 

In a separate index of the USA, New York State is at the top, followed by California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. At the bottom are the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Montana and Oklahoma. In the regular index, the United States rank 41st.

Belgium

The legal and societal situation for queer s.l. people hasn’t changed in Belgium compared to 2023. The kingdom drops to 21st because other countries advanced. 

Belgium shares its spot with Andorra (a surprise), Argentina, France, Greenland, the Netherlands, Réunion and the United Kingdom. 

Gay Travel Index

Spartacus is publishing the Gay Travel Index since 2012. There are still many places in the world where LGBTQIA+ travellers and citizens must fear for their happiness and safety. Due to the sometimes wide differences in the world, it can happen that holidaymakers endanger themselves simply by unwise behaviour. 

“In order to support the safety of gay tourists worldwide, we publish the Gay Travel Index. It serves as a first guideline – you can find more detailed information about your travel destinations on our website and blog”, Spartacus says.

“The index attempts at finding a balance between measuring the rights of the local LGBT community and considering the demands of queer holidaymakers. Our aim is to monitor the safety of queer people in each country and also increase the awareness on grievances. We are convinced that there are holidaymakers who choose countries where the queer community is an accepted and beloved part of society.” 

“But there are also holidaymakers who consciously want to travel to a country in order to enter into a dialogue with the oppressed local queer community. The index is intended to provide either type of holidaymaker with trustworthy and valid information.”

The index has become more and more diverse and queer in the past years. Over the years, Spartacus has added new categories to the index to match with a broader diversity of the queer community. 

Rating system

When creating the index, the focus is on political decisions affecting the queer community, legal changes or acts of violence and prohibitions. Positive developments in the respective countries count as plus points, negative ones as minus points. 

Categories include among others: marriage equality and anti-discrimination laws, sodomy laws, pride parade bans and hate crimes. Political developments such as marriage equality might at first only affect the LGBT community of the respective country. But every step towards equality is a step forward towards social acceptance and has therefore a direct impact on holidaymakers.

The categories have different levels. If a category has three levels, a maximum of three points can be awarded.

The only exception is the death penalty: A country gets one minus point if the death penalty for homosexual acts is anchored in the law but not executed. If the death penalty is still executed, the country gets five minus points. This ensures these countries rank at the bottom of the list.

Queer human rights

• SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX 2023 | Belgium 17th most gay travel friendly country; Malta on 1, Canada and Switzerland share 2nd.
• RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2023 | These are the LGBTQIA+ friendly and LGBTQIA+ unfriendly countries in Europe.
• RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2022 | These are the LGBTQIA-friendly and LGBTQIA-unfriendly countries in Europe.
• RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2021 | These are the LGBTQI-friendly and LGBTQI-unfriendly countries in Europe.
• RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2020 | These are the LGBT-friendly and LGBT-unfriendly countries in Europe.
• ILGA-EUROPE | Alarming surge in transphobic speech across Europe sparks concern for June 2024 EU elections.
• ILGA-EUROPE | 2022 deadliest rise in homophobic and transphobic violence in over a decade.
• Pride movement in Europe expecting increased hostility.
• Europeans more accepting of LGBTQIA+ people than their political leaders.
• Grindr Unwrapped: Belgium and the Netherlands are lands of leather men and twinks.
• REPORT | More LGBT and gender-diverse people were arrested and prosecuted in 2023.
• UPDATE | 66 countries where gay sex is illegal.
• 13 US states still officially punish gay sex.
• How gay friendly are trending travel destinations Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine?.
• 1 in 3 LGBTQIA+ people in Flanders and Brussels experienced physical aggression in the past two years.
• FLANDERS | LGBTQIA+ people more often unhappy, bullied and misjudged.
• 71 (68) countries where gay sex is illegal.
• Political and governmental homophobia and transphobia in Europe not necessarily backed by public opinion.
• COVID-19 and Anti-LGBTQI initiatives make queer life harder in Europe.
• To be or not to be out and proud LGBTQ when travelling?.
• Are you travelling to a hostile destination?.
• ILGA-Europe: COVID-19 affected LGBTI people’s human rights heavily.
• European Union declared ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’ as Belgium mourns murdered gay man.
• Travel guide for people with HIV.
• European Union declared ‘LGBTIQ Freedom Zone’ but reality is quite different.
• A plea for LGBTQ travel in post-communist Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
• Queer in a hostile world: more likely to be arrested for looking gay than for actual homosexual acts.