The legal and social landscape for LGBTQ people has deteriorated in several countries over the past year, exposing travelers to heightened legal and societal risks abroad, according to the LGBTQ Risk Map 2026 released by Safeture in partnership with Riskline.
The map assesses conditions for LGBTQ travelers across 233 countries and territories, classifying 91 as high risk, 62 as medium risk, and 80 as low risk.
Conditions worsened over the past year in Belarus, Burkina Faso, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Slovakia, and the United States. The drivers vary but include rollbacks of existing rights, harsher penalties, and new limits on the recognition of gender identity and on travel documents.
Western Europe remains the safest region, with every country classified as low risk. The Middle East and North Africa continue to include some of the world's highest-risk destinations, with most countries rated high risk; Israel is rated low risk and Lebanon medium risk.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 80 percent of assessed countries fall into the highest risk category. The deterioration is most evident in Burkina Faso, which enacted its first law criminalizing same-sex relations following the 2022 military coup, and in Senegal, where prison sentences for same-sex relations have doubled.
New legal restrictions also lowered ratings across Europe and Eurasia. Kazakhstan has restricted information about so-called "non-traditional sexual orientations," Slovakia has further limited the rights of same-sex couples, and Belarus has adopted a law against so-called "LGBT propaganda" that could result in fines or arrests.
Asia recorded setbacks as well. India introduced legislation seeking to restrict transgender people's ability to self-identify, while a Japanese court upheld the constitutionality of the country's ban on same-sex marriage.
In North America, the United States has tightened travel-document rules. Passports will now reflect only the sex assigned at birth, and the "X" gender marker will no longer be recognized.
The analysis also identified progress. Botswana and St. Lucia repealed laws criminalizing same-sex relations between men, earning improved ratings in this year's map.
"LGBTQ travelers face very different realities depending on where they travel. In some destinations, the risk may be primarily social. In others, it may be legal, with serious consequences," Safeture CEO Magnus Hultman said in prepared remarks. "For organizations, this makes it essential to understand destination-specific risks before travel and to ensure that travelers have access to relevant information, communication, and support if something happens."
The LGBTQ Risk Map 2026 is now available as a free download here: 2026 LGBTQ Travel Safety Map - Safeture. For more information, visit safeture.com.
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