UK tumbles in latest ranking on LGBTQIA+ rights in Europe

Thinking of a European holiday? The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) has just released it’s 2025 edition of the Rainbow Map, which ranks 49 European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTQIA+ people.

Malta has retained top place in the rankings, a position it has held for the past decade. Belgium has moved into second place after adopting policies tackling hatred based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics, while Iceland has the third highest ranking.

The worst performers for 2025 are Russia and Azerbaijan (both scoring just 2%) and Turkey, with a score of 5%. Among the biggest losers in the 2025 edition of the Rainbow Map was the United Kingdom, which dropped six places to be ranked at 22nd following the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year to redefine the legal understanding of "woman" strictly as "biological sex," impacting the recognition and rights of transgender individuals. Hungary and Georgia also registered steep falls following anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation.

In at least 14 European countries, freedom of assembly and association for LGBTQIA+ communities is restricted or under attack, while only nine countries (Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia and Spain) have full coverage of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) in their anti-discrimination legislations.

Visit ILGA’s Rainbow Map here.