Rainbow Map 2025
The big headlines about the UK and Hungary draw attention, but democracy is being eroded quietly across Europe, like a thousand paper cuts.
The UK has dropped six places in ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map, as Hungary and Georgia also register steep falls following anti-LGBTI legislation. The data highlights how rollbacks on LGBTI human rights are part of a broader erosion of democratic protections across Europe. They are merely the most striking examples of a broader trend in which LGBTI human rights are being systematically dismantled under the guise of preserving public order. In reality, such measures pave the way for sweeping restrictions on fundamental freedoms, including the rights to protest and to political dissent. Read more in our press release.
Executive Summary
The Rainbow Map – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.
The Rainbow Map and Index ranks European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.
In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using 76 criteria, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum. More information on the list of criteria and their weight on the total score can be found at https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/about/
Policymakers, researchers and journalists are able to go ‘behind’ the points and see the original information sources that we base our Map ranking on. This additional layer of information is available through our interactive website at https://rainbowmap.ilga-europe.org/
The top five countries are (in ascending order): 1. Malta, 2. Belgium, 3. Iceland, 4. Denmark, and 5. Spain.
There is no change in the bottom five countries (in descending order): 45. Belarus, 46. Armenia, 47. Turkey, 48. Azerbaijan, and 49. Russia.
Austria, Latvia, Germany, Czechia, and Poland recorded the biggest jumps in their rankings:
- Austria rose four places after amending the Federal Equal Treatment Act to clarify that protections based on “gender” include gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics. However, this progress is at risk, with the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) planning to overturn these protections in October.
- Latvia moved up four places following the introduction of a new law allowing same-sex couples to enter civil unions.
- Germany climbed three places with the Self-Determination Act, which took effect in November 2024. The law allows trans people to change their legal documents without invasive requirements, such as a mental health diagnosis.
- Czechia rose three places after passing a law extending rights for same-sex partners. The new framework grants registered partnerships nearly the same legal recognition as marriage, except for joint adoptions.
- Poland advanced three places by ending state obstructions to LGBTI public events and abolishing the last of its so-called ‘LGBT-free Zones’.
Hungary, Georgia and the UK recorded the biggest falls in their rankings:
- Hungary fell seven places in the ranking by adopting several amendments to their legislation, banning Pride events and criminalising their organisers and erasing the protection on the ground of ‘gender identity’ in the equal treatment law.
- Georgia also fell seven places by adopting an omnibus package of laws prohibiting legal gender recognition, trans-specific healthcare, adoption by same-sex couples, banning public events and expression about LGBTI people, among other restrictions. Additionally, the Parliament recently erased the mention of ‘gender, gender identity and gender expressions’ from all legislations.
- The United Kingdom dropped to 22nd in the ranking, its lowest position ever. The UK was ranked number 1 in 2015 with 86 points. Points were deducted following a Supreme Court ruling that defines the terms “woman”, “man”, and “sex” strictly based on “biological sex”. As a result, legal gender recognition (LGR) is no longer fully effective: regardless of obtaining a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), a person will still be treated as their sex assigned at birth in various areas of public life. LGR should enable a person to legally function and be recognised in their affirmed gender in all areas of life; this is no longer the case in the UK. The ruling, along with interim guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), means that individuals with a GRC are not fully recognised as their affirmed gender in important legal contexts. (See full reasoning here.)
Further data:
- Hungary now has 23 points and is only 37th out of 49 countries. This is Hungary’s lowest score and ranking ever in the history of Rainbow Map.
- Georgia now has 12 points and is only 44th out of 49 countries. This is Georgia’s lowest score and ranking ever in the history of Rainbow Map.
- Poland now sits in the 39th place with 21 points, making it their highest score and ranking in the last decade.
- Germany sits in the 8th place with 69 points, making it their highest score and ranking in the history of the Rainbow Map.
About the Rainbow Map
The Rainbow Map – ILGA-Europe’s annual benchmarking tool – comprises the Rainbow Map and Index and national recommendations. ILGA-Europe have produced the Rainbow Map and Index since 2009, using it to illustrate the legal and policy situation of LGBTI people in Europe.
The Rainbow Map ranks European countries on their respective legal and policy practices for LGBTI people, from 0-100%.
In order to create our country ranking, ILGA-Europe examine the laws and policies in 49 countries using 76 criteria, divided between seven thematic categories: equality and non-discrimination; family; hate crime and hate speech; legal gender recognition; intersex bodily integrity; civil society space; and asylum.
The Rainbow Map and Index presents a picture of the current policy landscape, while country-specific recommendations attempt to answer the question “what’s next?” These recommendations are intended to encourage policymakers to address the most pressing legal and policy priorities within the framework of our Rainbow Map and Index. The recommendations were gathered following an online consultation with a wide range of LGBTI organisations in the various countries. As a result, the recommendations are tailored to the needs of activists working on the ground.
