Survey of 167 countries shows tolerance toward the LGBT community is rising globally

Data from the 2019 Legatum Prosperity Index shows that the LGBTQ+ community is experiencing increasing levels of tolerance in nearly all regions of the world over the last decade. The data comes from 167 countries and shows that Iceland is the most tolerant country for LGBTQ+ individuals. The United States comes in 22nd place in the personal freedoms ranking.

Shaun Flanage from the Legatum Institute’s Centre for Metrics told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, “It is encouraging to see that our 2019 Prosperity Index shows a rise in tolerance towards the LGBT community globally over the past decade. However, the LGBT community, as well as other often marginalised groups, such as immigrants, ethnic minorities and religious groups, still face considerable persecution across certain parts of the world today.”

111 of the 167 countries in the report demonstrated a rise in social tolerance towards minority populations over the last decade. Every region studied, with the exception of Eastern Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrated progress in social tolerance.

Specifically tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community has shifted from approximately 1 in 4 individuals a decade ago to nearly a third in the 2019 data. These tolerance levels were measured by a Gallup poll conducted of 130,000 individuals worldwide who answered questions about whether or not their region was a good place for a lesbian or gay person to live.

The Legatum Prosperity Index report from 2019 does clarify that while social tolerance has risen globally over the last decade, the freedom to speak, assemble, and associate and personal freedoms have declined.

What countries have decriminalized homosexual behavior or legalized same-sex marriage this year? Where is your country ranked on the Legatum Prosperity Index?