Lithuania drops to 37th in Europe for LGBTIQ rights protection

Lithuania has fallen to 37th place among 49 European countries in this year’s LGBTIQ rights ranking, according to the annual report by advocacy group ILGA-Europe, as reported by LRT.

The country scored just 24.09% of possible points in the 2026 assessment, which evaluates legal and political protections for LGBTIQ individuals—a marginal improvement from last year’s 24%. Since the start of the decade, Lithuania’s position in the so-called “Rainbow Map” has steadily declined, dropping from 32nd place in 2020.

Neighbouring Estonia ranked significantly higher at 21st, while Latvia climbed two spots to 32nd. Spain, Malta, and Belgium topped the list, with Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Russia occupying the bottom three positions.

The ranking was published in Lithuania by the national LGBT rights organisation Lithuanian Gay League.