65 UN member states still criminalize consensual same-sex relations, with very different risk levels behind that one number. Here's what changed in the last three years, where the death penalty still applies, and which sources are worth checking before you book.
Sixty-five UN member states still criminalize consensual same-sex relations between adults. That figure, from ILGA World's current legal data, isn't just a statistic for a report. It shapes real decisions: which countries make sense for a Pride trip, where to hold back in public, and where the law can change faster than a travel blog gets updated.
Progress and rollback, at the same time
Look at the raw numbers and the picture gets messier than a simple story of progress. While 65 UN states still criminalize same-sex relations, marriage equality now exists in 37 UN member states plus Taiwan. Other rights lag much further behind: only 18 countries let people change their legal gender based on self-declaration alone, just 17 have nationwide bans on conversion therapy, and a mere 9 protect intersex youth from non-consensual, medically unnecessary surgery. ILGA World describes this as polarization rather than steady progress — rights expand in some regions while other governments pass new restrictions in the same year.
The last three years show that pattern clearly. The Cook Islands and Mauritius decriminalized consensual same-sex relations in 2023. Namibia, Niue, and Dominica followed in 2024. St. Lucia did the same in 2025, after its Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court struck down colonial-era "gross indecency" laws. Over the same stretch, Burkina Faso and Trinidad and Tobago moved the other way and reintroduced or tightened criminal penalties. The net effect: the global count of criminalizing states held steady at 65 through 2025, gains and losses canceling each other out.
2025 also brought new restrictions on assembly and expression. Hungary, Kazakhstan, and Burkina Faso all passed laws limiting queer visibility or Pride events specifically. On the other side of the ledger, marriage laws passed in Liechtenstein and Thailand back in 2024 finally took effect. Looking ahead, Guyana's government has publicly committed to decriminalization, and a court case in Grenada could force the same outcome. Neither is guaranteed, but both signal that the map keeps shifting in both directions.
The death penalty is the extreme end, not the whole story
A small group of countries goes further than criminal fines or prison time. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Brunei, Mauritania, and several northern Nigerian states applying Sharia-based penal codes are the ones most consistently named as allowing the death penalty for consensual same-sex acts. Context matters here: in some of these countries, including Brunei and Mauritania, the penalty exists on paper but hasn't actually been carried out in decades, under what amounts to a de facto moratorium. That doesn't make the law harmless, but it does change the practical risk on the ground. Exact counts vary between sources depending on methodology and publication date, which is itself a reason to check a live database rather than an older article before booking anything.
What this actually means for planning a trip
Two types of sources are worth bookmarking. ILGA World's own database (database.ilga.org) tracks the legal status of same-sex relations country by country and gets updated as laws change, which makes it more reliable than a static list copied from an old blog post. Your own government's travel advisory is the second: most foreign ministries (the US State Department, the UK's FCDO, Canada's travel.gc.ca, and Australia's Smartraveller among them) flag country-specific risks for LGBTQ+ travelers under local laws and customs sections.
Dating apps deserve particular caution in countries where same-sex relations are criminalized. Authorities in several of these countries have used dating apps and social platforms to identify and entrap LGBTQ+ people, sometimes through fake profiles. Setting accounts to private and using a VPN where local laws restrict access are common precautions cited by LGBTQ+ travel safety guides. It's also worth noting that risk doesn't map neatly onto criminalization alone: Singapore rarely enforces its remaining law and operates on something close to a don't-ask-don't-tell basis, while Budapest still supports a visible queer scene despite Hungary's broader anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric at the national level. Neither example is a green light. Local law is the starting point for research, not the whole answer.
Trans travelers face a layer of risk that criminalization statistics don't capture at all. Since January 2025, travelers with an "X" gender marker or a passport that doesn't match their current gender presentation have been advised to contact the relevant US embassy before entry to confirm requirements. It's a sign that even destinations without anti-LGBTQ+ criminal law can shift their rules with little warning. Public displays of affection carry their own risk profile too: holding hands or requesting a double bed counts as a public act under the law in some countries, regardless of how liberal the destination otherwise seems.
The practical rule holds regardless of destination: don't rely on a friend's account from a few years ago or an old forum thread. A ten-minute check of the current legal situation, close to departure, turns a vague worry into a decision you can actually plan around.
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Last reviewed: 28. July 2026
