According to a global survey conducted in 2021, three in 10 respondents had at least once spoken out against someone who was being prejudiced against LGBT+ people. In addition, some 13 percent attended a public event in support of LGBT+ people, e.g. a Pride march.

Worldwide, **** in 10 respondents support LGBT people being open about their sexual orientation or gender identity with everyone. In a global survey conducted in 2024, ** percent of respondents stated this. In addition, ** percent of interviewees supported openly lesbian, gay and bisexual athletes to be part of sports teams.

In a global survey conducted in 2023, ***** percent of respondents declared to be homosexual, gay, or lesbian. In Brazil and the Netherlands, for instance, **** percent, instead, identified as bisexual, representing the largest group of bisexual respondents among the 30 surveyed countries. Moreover, *** percent of the interviewees in Switzerland said to be pansexual or omnisexual. Pansexuality describes people who feel attracted to other people regardless of their biological sex, gender, or gender identity, whereas omnisexuality refers to people attracted to people of all gender identities and sexual orientations.

In 2021, around ** percent of individuals living in the District of Columbia identified as LGBT. Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon also had high rates, exceeding *** percent. Mississippi and North Dakota had the lowest rates of LGBT populations, the only states with less than **** percent.

Stats NZ introduced questions on sexual identity and gender to HES for the year ended June 2021, to help provide a more accurate and inclusive picture of New Zealanders that, amongst other dimensions, would reflect the diversity of genders and sexual identities in Aotearoa.

Introduction

LGBT Statistics: The LGBTQ+ community, encompassing individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning, represents a diverse and vibrant segment of the global population. This community includes people of all races, ages, and socioeconomic backgrounds, contributing significantly to the cultural, economic, and social fabric of society.

Historically, the LGBTQ+ rights movement gained momentum in the mid-20th century, with milestones such as the Stonewall Riots of 1969 catalyzing change. This article will guide you effectively throughout as it covers all recent trends and analyses of LGBT from different perspectives.

In 2023, Brazil was the country with the largest share of LGBT+ population at 15 percent. Spain and Switzerland followed next, with 14 and 13 percent of their population identifying as LGBT+, respectively.

There were estimated to be approximately **** million people in the United Kingdom who identified as being Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual in 2023, compared with ******* in 2014.

Although South Africa is the global epicenter of the HIV epidemic, the uptake of HIV testing and treatment among young people remains low. Concerns about confidentiality impede the utilization of HIV prevention services, which signals the need for discrete HIV prevention measures that leverage youth-friendly platforms. This paper describes the process of developing a youth-friendly internet-enabled HIV risk calculator in collaboration with young people, including young key populations aged between 18 and 24 years old. Using qualitative research, we conducted an exploratory study with 40 young people including young key population (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals, men who have sex with men (MSM), and female sex workers). Eligible participants were young people aged between 18–24 years old and living in Soweto. Data was collected through two peer group discussions with young people aged 18–24 years, a once-off group discussion with the [Name of clinic removed for confidentiality] adolescent community advisory board members and once off face-to-face in-depth interviews with young key population groups: LGBT individuals, MSM, and female sex workers. LGBT individuals are identified as key populations because they face increased vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and other health risks due to societal stigma, discrimination, and obstacles in accessing healthcare and support services. The measures used to collect data included a socio-demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on mobile phone usage, an HIV and STI risk assessment questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview guide. Framework analysis was used to analyse qualitative data through a qualitative data analysis software called NVivo. Descriptive statistics were summarized using SPSS for participant socio-demographics and mobile phone usage. Of the 40 enrolled participants, 58% were male, the median age was 20 (interquartile range 19–22.75), and 86% had access to the internet. Participants’ recommendations were considered in developing the HIV risk calculator. They indicated a preference for an easy-to-use, interactive, real-time assessment offering discrete and private means to self-assess HIV risk. In addition to providing feedback on the language and wording of the risk assessment tool, participants recommended creating a colorful, interactive and informational app. A collaborative and user-driven process is crucial for designing and developing HIV prevention tools for targeted groups. Participants emphasized that privacy, confidentiality, and ease of use contribute to the acceptability and willingness to use internet-enabled HIV prevention methods.

As of April 2024, 55 percent of the LGBT population lived in the 50 states and the District of Columbia where private health insurance service providers weren't allowed to deny coverage for transgender-related health care services, such as sex reassignment surgery. However, only 40 percent lived in states where health insurance protections included sexual orientation and gender identity.

LGBT Americans The share of Americans self-identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender has grown in recent years. This suggests that insurance protections which cover LGBT-related health care services will also continue to grow in importance. The prevalence of younger Americans self-identifying as LGBT when compared with older generations confirms this. Millennials and Gen Xers are much more likely to personally identify as LGBT than previous generations were. Growing acceptance and tolerance in wider society means that more people are willing to be open about their gender identity and sexual orientation. For instance, support for same-sex marriage in the U.S. underwent a huge shift over the past two decades with the majority of Americans being in favor of it since 2011.

Malta was rated the safest travel destination for members of the LGBT community, according to a 2023 ranking. With 13 points, the European country outperformed Canada and Switzerland - the following safest countries in the list. Out of the 12 best-performing countries that year, eight are located in Europe.

LGBT rights in Canada

Back in 2005, Canada was the fourth country worldwide to legalize same-sex marriage. The North American nation is in the vanguard of LGBT rights and has passed multiple laws assuring equality for this group, such as allowing adoption by same-sex couples, protecting transgender rights, and banning conversion therapy. Meanwhile, its land neighbor, the United States, had the share of the population that identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender increased steadily between 2012 and 2021.

Acceptance around the globe

According to a survey conducted in 2021 in 27 countries, opinions on the rights of same-sex couples varied greatly around the world. Western European and American nations were particularly supportive of marriage or, failing that, some form of legal recognition for homosexual couples.

As of 2021, sex workers accounted for around ** percent of all new HIV infections, while gay men and other men who have sex with men accounted for ** percent of such new infection cases. This statistic shows the distribution of new HIV infections worldwide in 2021, by key population.

This graph shows the distribution of homosexual and bisexual men in France in 2021, according to their political orientation. Thus, it appears that almost a quarter of French gay men mentioned feeling close to the Parti Socialiste, compared to nine percent for the global population. One can also notice that 18 percent of bisexual men mentioned feeling close to Les Républicains, compared to ten percent of the population, and five percent of gay men.

In 2023, Gen Z was the generation with the largest share of LGBT+ population worldwide at ** percent. Meanwhile, only *** percent of Gen X and **** percent of Boomers identified as LGBT+ in the same year.

According to a 2019 survey, 54 percent of respondents from South Africa believed homosexuality should be accepted by society. Recognition of homosexuality in the world was highest in Western European countries, Canada and Australia. Despite Kenya ranking comparatively low in the global comparison, acceptance of people identifying as LGBTQ+ notably increased since 2002. Among the four African countries taken into consideration, the lowest degree of acceptance among interviewees was recorded in Nigeria, at seven percent.

Between 2021 and 2023, support for same-sex marriage declined in ** out of 23 surveyed countries worldwide. The major drops were seen in Canada and Germany, where the share of respondents agreeing with same-sex marriage went down *** percentage points. Still, over ** percent of respondents in those two countries supported it.

The way to legalization

As of 2021, ** countries have legalized same-sex marriages, most of them located in Western Europe. Switzerland was the latest to do so after a referendum, while the second to last was Costa Rica, as the only Central American country. While most countries have legalized same-sex marriage through legislation, in South Africa and Taiwan, this was enacted via courts' mandates. Taiwan and South Africa are the first and so far only countries in their continent to have legalized same-sex marriage.

Hostility and criminalization

The support and legalization of same-sex marriages is growing, and the acceptance of homosexuality is slowly but steadily increasing in more hostile countries. In Nigeria, for instance, homosexuality is a crime punishable with the death penalty. Despite a small increase, only ***** percent of people believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are still the most dangerous world regions for homosexuals. In fact, ** countries still criminalize homosexuality, and most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

The Russian Federation was ranked last European country in Rainbow Europe's annual LGBTI rights rankings for 2024, with an overall score of * percent. Russia does not perform well on any indicator, with family rights being the only category in which the country was awarded a positive score. The government of Russia led by President Vladimir Putin has become infamous in recent years for their homophobic stances, such as with laws brought in that target "LGBTQ propaganda", meaning that it is a crime to educate young people about homosexuality. These laws have led to a clamp-down on LGBTQ civil society in Russia, along with gay and queer activists in the country.

This statistic shows the share of survey participants in Indonesia who believe that the LGBT community have a right to live in Indonesia, as of December 2017. During the period surveyed, **** percent stated that they agree that LGBT have a right to live in Indonesia. **** percent of survey respondents answered that they do not agree.

Turkey was ranked third last out of 48 European countries in Rainbow Europe's annual rating of LGBTI rights in 2024, with an overall score of only **** percent. The country performed poorly across every indicator included in the rankings, but did manage to achieve a positive score for civil society space and legal gender recognition. While Turkey has been heading in a less LGBTI-friendly direction for many years, with law-makers aligning with more traditionalist Islamic values, there have been some positive signs recently, such as the Supreme Court's judgement that banning gay pride events is unconstitutional.

Spain was ranked fifth out of 49 European countries in the annual Rainbow Europe rankings in 2025, with the country achieving an overall score of ***** percent for its legal, political, and human rights provisions. The country performed relatively well on most indicators, having particularly strong protections for LGBTI civil society, family rights, equality & non-discrimination provisions, and laws which ensure the gender recognition rights of transgender citizens and residents. Spain performs less well on intersex bodily integrity laws, although it must be noted that relative to most European countries the score of ** percent is still high.