Spain Ranked As Europe鈥檚 Best Country For LGBTQIA+ Rights
Image: Credit World Pride Madrid
Spain has overtaken Malta as the top-ranked country in Europe for LGBTQIA+ rights in the latest Rainbow Map published by ILGA-Europe, ending Malta鈥檚 decade-long run at number one.
The 2026 Rainbow Map ranked 49 European countries on laws and policies affecting LGBTQIA+ people across categories including equality, family recognition, hate crime protections, legal gender recognition and asylum rights.
ILGA-Europe is an advocacy organisation representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex groups across Europe and Central Asia. It works on human rights, equality and anti-discrimination issues, and publishes the annual Rainbow Map ranking European countries on LGBTQIA+ laws and policies.
Spain rose to first place with a score of 88.7 per cent, followed by Malta on 88 per cent and Iceland on 86 per cent. Russia, Azerbaijan and T眉rkiye ranked at the bottom of the index.
According to ILGA-Europe, Spain鈥檚 rise reflected the implementation of reforms introduced under its 2023 LGBTQI and trans legislation, including equality action plans, the establishment of an independent authority for equal treatment and reforms to depathologise trans healthcare.
鈥淭his year鈥檚 Rainbow Map tells two stories at once,鈥� ILGA-Europe Deputy Director Katrin Hugendubel said.
鈥淥ne of genuine courage, in Spain, in courtrooms, and in leaders who are choosing to stand with their communities rather than scapegoat them.
鈥淎nd one of real and growing danger that cannot be underestimated. The question every government in Europe must now answer is which story they want to be part of.鈥�
The United Kingdom also recorded a decline in the 2026 rankings, dropping from 17th to 22nd place with a score of 46 per cent. ILGA-Europe said the fall reflected what it described as 鈥渋ncreasingly hostile rhetoric鈥� around trans rights, as well as concerns about legal recognition and healthcare access for trans people.
ILGA-Europe said the rankings reflected legal and policy frameworks rather than lived experiences, noting reported increases in anti-LGBTQIA+ violence in several countries. The organisation said assaults against LGBTQIA+ people in Spain had increased by 15 per cent since 2024, citing data from Spain鈥檚 national LGBTQI federation.
The report also highlighted what it described as growing political polarisation across Europe, including anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and restrictions on civil society in some countries. Recent developments included banning so-called 鈥淟GBT propaganda鈥�.
ILGA-Europe said the Rainbow Map was compiled using 76 criteria across seven categories and verified by more than 250 activists, legal professionals and policy specialists across Europe and Central Asia.
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