Iceland has joined the world’s most LGBTQ+-friendly travel destinations – Malta, Canada, Portugal and Spain – for the first time in the 2025 edition of the SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX, which provides an overview of the situation for LGBTQ+ people in a total of 216 countries and regions.
While countries like Greece, Thailand and Curaçao have significantly improved their rankings, the United States and Georgia have fallen behind. Notably, the UK languishes in joint 15th position along with countries such as Ireland, Taiwan, Sweden and Argentina.
Close behind the leading nations are Germany and New Zealand, sharing sixth place, followed by Australia, Norway and Switzerland, which all rank eighth.
With the adoption of a law introducing marriage equality in 2024, Greece, Thailand and Curaçao have significantly improved their rankings. Greece jumps from 38th place in 2024 to 15th place, the same position as the UK. Thailand, the first Southeast Asian country to grant same-sex partnerships equal status to heterosexual marriage, climbs from 54th to 41st place. Curaçao now ranks 58th, compared to 70th in 2024.
Georgia, struggling with Russian influence, has plummeted from 109th to 162nd place due to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Another notable drop: the United States. The new administration under President Donald Trump has already begun restricting trans rights at the national level. As a result, the US has fallen from 41st to 48th place. At the bottom of the ranking, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iran and Saudi Arabia continue to share last place at rank 210, just as they did in 2023.
The entire SPARTACUS Gay Travel Index can be downloaded HERE
