Canada among top five safest countries for LGBTQ+ travellers

Members of the LGBTQ+ community have more to consider when it comes to their safety when choosing a travel destination.

A country’s laws surrounding LGBTQ+ rights or the general population’s attitude towards the community are some factors that could indicate whether it’s a safe environment for travellers.

A3M Global Monitoring, a risk assessment company for business and leisure travellers, recently published its LGBTQ+ Risk Map, which assesses the safety of globetrotters from the community.

The company noted that there are important nuances they took into account when conducting their research.

Firstly, it stressed that no country is “homogeneous” and that attitudes towards the community could vary in rural areas and cities.

“There can be significant differences between official policies, rules, and regulations and the experiences of the community in their everyday lives,” explained the report. “There are countries that have extremely strict laws regarding homosexuality, but where a very active underground gay scene flourishes.”

The report adds that laws in “less secure countries” typically deal with homosexuality, while issues surrounding trans and non-binary rights “are sometimes not even given separate legal consideration, and the way they are dealt with varies according to country- and region-specific traditions.”

Lastly, the company acknowledges that the situation for tourists or business travellers may differ significantly from that of locals and immigrants.

“Taking all these caveats into account, we have nevertheless decided to base our LGBTQ+ Risk Map 2025 largely on a legal perspective,” reads the report. “In some cases, we were able to interview LGBTQ+ organizations and members of the community in order to take their lived experiences in the country into account.”

The company’s map colour codes countries under five levels:

The report ranked the top 10 safest countries for LGBTQ+ travellers to visit based on these criteria.

Canada was named the fourth safest country in the world for people in the community to travel to. It’s labelled as a low-risk country for LGBTQ+ people to visit.

It took decades of progress for Canada to become a safer space for the community. Homosexuality wasn’t decriminalized until 1969. In 1996, the Canadian Human Rights Act, was amended to specifically include sexual orientation as one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination. Almost a decade later, same-sex marriage was legalized in Canada on July 20, 2005.

While there has been significant growth, Canada isn’t perfect. Homophobia and transphobia are still prevalent, which can be seen in political rhetoric.

For example, former Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has made transphobic comments and voted against legalizing gay marriage in the past. And even though Canada formally banned conversion therapy in 2022, a recent study suggests that the practice continues underground.

Malta took the top spot for enshrining registered partnerships in 2014, marriage in 2017, banning conversion therapy in 2016, and allowing gender self-ID since 2015.

The report also ranked the top 10 most unsafe countries for people in the community to travel to.

Iran took the top spot as homosexuality is still criminalized in the country, with same-sex acts punishable by lashes or the death penalty.

“Although trans people occasionally receive state-supported gender reassignment surgery, the attitude of large sections of society towards people from the LGBTQ+ community is predominantly negative, even hostile,” reads the report.

“Travellers are at the highest risk: even suspicion of homosexuality can result in immediate arrest, torture or even execution.”

The company also listed the top 10 countries with positive and negative development when it comes to LGBTQ+ legislation.

The United States ranked sixth in negative development, according to the report, which cited U.S. President Donald Trump’s second presidency.

“A clear trend towards restricting the rights of trans people can be observed in the USA. The official position of Trump’s government is the rejection of non-binary gender identities and transgender identity,” it reads.

Check out A3M Global Monitoring’s full assessment.