Editorials
The Most Gay-Friendly Countries in the World
Spain tops Europe's 2026 Rainbow Map and Iceland leads the global indexes. Here is how 13 countries compare for gay travellers.
Spain now leads Europe’s 2026 Rainbow Map, and Iceland leads the global indexes, but no single ranking settles which country suits a gay trip. The laws, the public mood, and the local scene each describe a different part of the picture.
A country can score high on marriage rights and protections yet lower on public attitudes, so the strongest choices are the ones where both hold up. This guide covers 13 countries where same-sex marriage is legal, what each offers gay travellers, and where the law and daily life diverge.
How the Countries Were Chosen
Three public indexes inform the selection, and each measures something different. ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map scores 49 European countries from 0 to 100 percent on laws and policy across seven categories, including hate crime protections and legal gender recognition. The Spartacus Gay Travel Index ranks 217 countries and regions with travellers in mind. Equaldex averages a legal score and a public opinion score, each out of 100, into one Equality Index.
Every country below has legal same-sex marriage, which sets the baseline. The scores in the table are Equaldex’s as of October 2026.
Greece shows the widest gap among these countries, at 91 on law and 40 on public opinion. Thailand is the only one where public opinion, at 67, outscores the legal score of 63.
Europe
Spain
Spain took first place on ILGA-Europe’s 2026 Rainbow Map for the first time, ending Malta’s ten years at the top. The rise followed a new independent equal treatment authority and the depathologization of trans identities in healthcare, among other reforms. Spain legalised same-sex marriage in 2005, the third country in the world to do so, and scores 100 on Equaldex’s legal index.
Barcelona and Sitges, Madrid, and the Canary Islands all have established gay scenes. The mood is relaxed and welcoming, with Chueca in Madrid and Gaixample in Barcelona both built on decades of community roots.
PinkNews’s coverage of the ranking notes that assaults on LGBTI people in Spain rose from 7% to 22% in two years, which is why a legal rank and daily experience are worth reading separately.
Malta
Malta held first place on the Rainbow Map for ten consecutive years before Spain overtook it in 2026, and it now ranks in the top five. Parliament voted almost unanimously to legalise same-sex marriage in 2017. Malta also scores 100 on Equaldex’s legal index, and Spartacus places it tied for second in 2026.
On the ground it feels easy and unforced, with a compact, friendly scene in Valletta and St Julian’s and an international crowd arriving for Malta Pride each September.
Iceland
Iceland ranks first on Equaldex, with an index of 93, and first on the Spartacus 2026 index. It also sits in the top five of the 2026 Rainbow Map. Same-sex marriage became legal in 2010, and the prime minister at the time, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, married her longtime partner under the new law.
The feel is open and matter-of-fact, with gay nightlife woven into Reykjavík’s general scene rather than confined to one area, and Reykjavík Pride each August is one of the biggest events of the year.
Portugal
Portugal legalised same-sex marriage in 2010, with the measure passing Parliament and then receiving approval from the Constitutional Court. Spartacus places it tied for fourth in 2026, and Equaldex gives it a legal score of 94.
Lisbon feels straightforwardly welcoming, with the scene centred on Príncipe Real and Bairro Alto, and Lisbon Pride each June is one of the larger dates on the European calendar.
Netherlands
The Netherlands was the first country to legalise same-sex marriage, passing the law in December 2000 and seeing it take effect in 2001. It scores 90 on Equaldex’s legal index and 64 on public opinion, which gives it an index of 77.
The mood is relaxed and unpretentious rather than staged. Reguliersdwarsstraat in Amsterdam is one of Europe’s great gay streets, and Canal Pride each August sends decorated boats through the canals.
Greece
Greece legalised same-sex marriage in 2024 and became the first majority Orthodox Christian nation to do so. It has the widest gap in this guide, with a legal score of 91 against a public opinion score of 40. Mykonos has been a gay island destination for decades, and the low opinion score suggests attitudes elsewhere in the country lag behind the law.
In Athens the scene sits comfortably alongside galleries and design hotels, centred on Gazi and Kerameikos, and on Mykonos the luxury and gay scenes have largely merged.
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Request a quote →The Americas
Same-sex marriage has been legal across the United States since 2015, and gay honeymoon destinations across the country are covered separately.
Canada
Canada passed national same-sex marriage legislation in 2005, after a majority of its provinces already allowed it. Spartacus places Canada tied for fourth in 2026, and Equaldex gives it an index of 78. Same-sex couples are an ordinary sight in the cities, from Church and Wellesley in Toronto to Le Village in Montreal.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica legalised same-sex marriage in 2020, the first Central American country to do so. Equaldex scores its law at 85 and public opinion at 54. Resort areas here are used to international couples, and Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast has been a gay-friendly beach destination for decades, though rural areas are more traditional.
Brazil
A court ruling made same-sex marriage legal across Brazil in 2013, after about half of the country’s 27 jurisdictions had already allowed it. Equaldex scores Brazil 92 on law and 56 on public opinion.
Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo both have large gay scenes. Rio’s is woven into beach life, with daytime gatherings at Posto 9 in Ipanema flowing into nights of samba, while São Paulo is a late-night nightlife city centred on Frei Caneca Street.
Asia-Pacific
Thailand
Thailand legalised same-sex marriage on January 23, 2025, the first country in Southeast Asia to do so. Tolerance is part of everyday life rather than only a recent legal change, with long-established scenes in Silom in Bangkok and Patong Beach in Phuket. Gaps remain, including no legal gender recognition and a legal definition of parents as a mother and a father.
The Thailand Gay Honeymoons page covers the main destinations, while coastal options are detailed in The Best Gay Beaches in Thailand.
Australia
Australia legalised same-sex marriage in 2017, after a nonbinding national referendum in which voters backed the change by 62% to 38%. Equaldex gives it an index of 78. Sydney feels like a gay capital with a year-round scene around Surry Hills and Darlinghurst, and Mardi Gras each February is the highlight.
New Zealand
New Zealand legalised same-sex marriage in 2013, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so. Its Equaldex index of 80 is the highest in the region among the countries in this guide. Same-sex couples are received without comment even at remote lodges and vineyard estates, and Karangahape Road anchors Auckland’s most visible scene.
Africa
South Africa
South Africa legalised same-sex marriage in 2006 and remains the only African country where it is legal. Equaldex scores it at 67, against a continental average of 24, and describes South Africa as the exception among African countries.
Cape Town feels comfortable and welcoming, with De Waterkant as its established gay neighbourhood, though some discretion is sensible in rural areas. A gay group trip across South Africa is a surefire safe way to see the country.
What to Check Before Booking
Rankings change from year to year. Malta held first place on the Rainbow Map for ten years before losing it in 2026, so check the current position of any country on a shortlist rather than relying on a headline.
Marriage rights are not the whole picture for visitors. Equaldex scores a set of legal issues, from discrimination protections to gender recognition, and the Rainbow Map splits laws into seven categories. A strong total can hide a weak spot that matters on a particular trip.
Trans and nonbinary travellers should read the legal gender recognition and healthcare details for each destination separately, since both indexes score them as their own categories. Public attitudes matter as well. Where the public opinion score trails the legal score, as in Greece, the law may describe the experience less well than local attitudes do. The same gap appears outside this guide, as in gay travel in Turkey and gay travel in Indonesia.
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