The safest and most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people have been revealed.
A new study produced by travel website Asher & Lyric has created the LGBTQ Danger Index; a ranking of the 150 countries with the most international tourists based on their safety for LGBTQ people.
The study looked at eight factors including same-sex marriage rights, worker protections, discrimination protections, criminalisation of violence, adoption recognition, illegal same-sex relationships and propaganda/morality laws.
It also took into account the results of Gallup’s ‘Is It A Good Place To Live?’ poll, which asked local people if they think the area they live in is a good place for LGBTQ people.
“Instead of relying on hearsay and anecdotes from other travellers, we took a deep look at LGBTQ rights country by country,” Asher & Lyric said of the study.
“We’ve gathered data from a variety of trusted international sources to create an LGBTQ Danger Index that will help you find the worst (and safest) countries for LGBTQ travel.”
The study found that the safest place for LGBTQ people to visit is Norway, followed by Portugal in second place and Belgium in third place. These were the only three countries to receive an A-grade safety ranking.
The United Kingdom came in at fourth place, with a safety ranking of B+, while the United States somewhat surprisingly ranked 24th on the list with a safety ranking of C+. This is likely due to a lack of universal discrimination protections.
See the top 20 safest countries to be LGBTQ below.
1. Norway
2. Portugal
3. Belgium
4. United Kingdom
5. Finland
6. France
7. Canada
8. Spain
9. Sweden
10. Malta
11. New Zealand
12. Netherlands
13. Denmark
14. South Africa
15. Ireland
16. Australia
17. Uruguay
18. Iceland
19. Colombia
20. Austria
The study also highlighted the most dangerous countries to visit for LGBTQ safety, and the results aren’t exactly surprising if you follow the progress of LGBTQ rights around the world.
Nigeria was ranked as the worst place for LGBTQ safety, due to the prospect of 14 years in prison or the death penalty for homosexuality, as well as the criminalisation of LGBTQ rights discussions. Qatar came in second, and Yemen in third.
See the 20 most dangerous countries for LGBTQ people below.
1. Nigeria
2. Qatar
3. Yemen
4. Saudi Arabia
5. Tanzania
6. Iran
7. Sudan
8. Barbados
9. Malaysia
10. Malawi
11. Zambia
12. Saint Lucia
13. Uganda
14. Pakistan
15. W. Bank & Gaza
16. Kenya
17. Maldives
18. Jamaica
19. Ethiopia
20. Egypt
Following the results of the study, Asher & Lyric have warned LGBTQ tourists to avoid some of the most popular holiday destinations.
“There are some places on the planet where it’s perfectly ordinary to kiss or hold hands with a same-sex partner in public, but in other places, that action could result in fines, imprisonment, hard labor, whipping, or, in some cases, death,” they said.
“Those looking for trans- and gay-travel-safe countries should reconsider popular vacation destinations like Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Myanmar, and Egypt as well as some of the more popular beaches in the Caribbean, like Saint Lucia and Barbados.”
You can see the full results of the study (as well as safety tips for LGBTQ travellers) here.
