VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has lost its position as Europe’s leading country for LGBTIQ+ rights after holding the top spot for ten consecutive years, according to ILGA-Europe’s updated 2026 Rainbow Map.
The annual index, which evaluates 49 European countries on laws and policies affecting LGBTI people’s human rights, now places Malta second with a score of 87.73%, down 1.1 percentage points from last year’s 88.83%.
Spain has overtaken Malta to claim first place, scoring 88.70% in the latest rankings.
The Rainbow Map assesses countries across seven categories, including equality and non-discrimination, family rights, hate crime and hate speech, legal gender recognition, intersex bodily integrity, civil society space, and asylum.
Scores range from 0%, indicating severe discrimination and human rights violations, to 100%, representing full equality and protection of rights.
Malta’s drop marks the first time since 2015 that it has not led the European rankings on LGBTIQ+ rights.
At the lower end of the 2026 index, Russia ranked last with 2.00%, followed by Azerbaijan at 2.25%.
Among European Union member states, Romania recorded the lowest score at 19%.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
