The world has long been viewed as progressive and inclusive for LGBTQ rights. But when you zero in on each country, their policies and levels of social acceptance vary greatly.
Travelling and working abroad might finally be possible again following the road out of lockdown and so we wanted to find which countries and cities are the most progressive and open-minded when it comes to LGBTQ inclusivity.
We looked at legalities around civil partnership, same-sex marriage, public acceptance and nightlife to work out the most LGBTQ+ friendly cities for workers. And since you also need money to sustain a working life abroad, we also looked at the average weekly wage you can expect to earn and the cost of living.
The top 10 LGBTQ+ friendly cities for workers
Luxembourg takes the top spot as the worlds most friendly working holiday spot for LGBTQ couples thanks to its high support of same-sex marriage with 85% of residents said to support it. The independent state has one of the highest costs of living in the study (£2,265) but also boasts a high average monthly salary of £3,387 to cover costs.
Second on the list is Spain’s capital Madrid. 86% of Spanish residents are supportive of same-sex marriage meaning 40.2 million in the country are pro LGBTQ+ rights.
The top 10 LGBTQ+ friendly cities for workers
Luxembourg takes the top spot as the worlds most friendly working holiday spot for LGBTQ couples thanks to its high support of same-sex marriage with 85% of residents said to support it. The independent state has one of the highest costs of living in the study (£2,265) but also boasts a high average monthly salary of £3,387 to cover costs.
Second on the list is Spain’s capital Madrid. 86% of Spanish residents are supportive of same-sex marriage meaning 40.2 million in the country are pro LGBTQ+ rights.
- Luxembourg
- Madrid
- Wellington
- London
- Amsterdam
- Paris
- Brussels
- Vienna
- Lisbon
- Ottawa
The least progressive cities for LGBTQ+ couples
While much of the world is incredibly pro LGBTQ+ rights, there are still some areas of the world that are far less inclusive.
According to the data, a total of 51 countries in the world still haven’t legalised civil partnership. Similarly, 46 countries still haven’t legalised same-sex marriage either. Based on this, we found the countries least welcoming to LGBTQ+ couples based on the percentage of residents who are pro/ against LGBTQ marriage rights.
Top 10 countries least welcoming to LGBTQ+ couples
- Armenia
- Georgia
- Moldova
- Kazakhstan
- Russia
- Ukraine
- Dominica
- Serbia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
