LGBT employment discrimination

LGBTQ+ people are protected from employment discrimination in 60 countries.

DATE

LGBT employment discrimination

Prohibition of discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity in employment, including hiring, promotion, termination, harassment, etc.

Summary

60
Protected
60 regions (30%)
Protected
30
Some protections
30 regions (15%)
Some protections
103
No protections
103 regions (52%)
No protections
5
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
5 regions (3%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
Europe
72%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
36 regions (72%)
Some protections
5 regions (10%)
No protections
9 regions (18%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
regions (0%)
Oceania
29%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
4 regions (29%)
Some protections
4 regions (29%)
No protections
6 regions (43%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
regions (0%)
South America
67%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
8 regions (67%)
Some protections
2 regions (17%)
No protections
2 regions (17%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
regions (0%)
North America
22%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
5 regions (22%)
Some protections
6 regions (26%)
No protections
11 regions (48%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
1 regions (4%)
Africa
6%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
3 regions (6%)
Some protections
9 regions (17%)
No protections
42 regions (78%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
regions (0%)
Asia
9%
LEGAL EQUALITY
Protected
4 regions (9%)
Some protections
4 regions (9%)
No protections
33 regions (75%)
Varied, unclear, or unknown laws
3 regions (7%)

Timeline of lgbt employment discrimination

Number of countries to ban lgbtq+ employment discrimination over the past 61 years.

Recent Changes

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

LGBT employment discrimination by Country

Sexual orientation and gender identity

LGBT employment discrimination is sexual orientation and gender identity in 60 regions.

  1. Asia (4)
  2. Israel 2015
  3. Mongolia 1992
  4. Taiwan 2007
  5. Thailand 2015
  6. Europe (36)
  7. Albania 2010
  8. Andorra 2019
  9. Belgium 2003
  10. Bosnia and Herzegovina 2016
  11. Bulgaria 2003
  12. Croatia 2009
  13. Cyprus 2014
  14. Czech Republic 2009
  15. Denmark 1996
  16. Estonia 2009
  17. Finland 2004
  18. France 2012
  19. Georgia 2014
  20. Germany 2006
  21. Greece 2016
  22. Hungary 1998
  23. Iceland 1996
  24. Ireland 1999
  25. Italy 2023
  26. Kosovo 2015
  27. Luxembourg 2006
  28. Malta 2004
  29. Moldova 2023
  30. Montenegro 2010
  31. Netherlands 1993
  32. North Macedonia 2020
  33. Norway 1981
  34. Poland 2022
  35. Portugal 2015
  36. Serbia 2009
  37. Slovakia 2004
  38. Slovenia 2016
  39. Spain 2022
  40. Sweden 1999
  41. Ukraine 2015
  42. United Kingdom 2010
  43. North America (5)
  44. Canada 2017
  45. Cuba 2013
  46. El Salvador
  47. Honduras 2013
  48. United States 2020
  49. Africa (3)
  50. Lesotho 2024
  51. Liberia 2015
  52. South Africa 1996
  53. Oceania (4)
  54. Australia 2013
  55. Fiji 2015
  56. Marshall Islands 2019
  57. Samoa 2013
  58. South America (8)
  59. Bolivia 2010
  60. Brazil 2019
  61. Chile 2012
  62. Colombia 2018
  63. Ecuador 2018
  64. Peru 2016
  65. Suriname 2015
  66. Uruguay 2004

Gender identity only

LGBT employment discrimination is gender identity only in 3 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. India 2020
  3. Pakistan
  4. South America (1)
  5. Argentina 2021

Sexual orientation only

LGBT employment discrimination is sexual orientation only in 27 regions.

  1. Asia (2)
  2. Philippines
  3. Singapore
  4. Europe (5)
  5. Austria 2004
  6. Latvia 2006
  7. Lithuania 2000
  8. Romania 2000
  9. San Marino 2019
  10. North America (6)
  11. Barbados 2020
  12. Belize
  13. Costa Rica 2016
  14. Mexico 2012
  15. Nicaragua
  16. Saint Lucia 2006
  17. Africa (9)
  18. Angola 2021
  19. Botswana 2010
  20. Cape Verde 2008
  21. Mauritius 2008
  22. Mozambique 2007
  23. Namibia 2021
  24. Sao Tome and Principe 2019
  25. Seychelles 2006
  26. Sierra Leone 2023
  27. Oceania (4)
  28. Federated States of Micronesia
  29. Kiribati 2015
  30. New Zealand 1994
  31. Tuvalu 2017
  32. South America (1)
  33. Venezuela 2012

No protections

LGBT employment discrimination is no protections in 103 regions.

  1. Asia (33)
  2. Bahrain 1976
  3. Bangladesh
  4. Bhutan
  5. Brunei 1951
  6. Cambodia
  7. China
  8. Indonesia
  9. Iran 1979
  10. Iraq
  11. Jordan 1952
  12. Kazakhstan
  13. Kuwait
  14. Kyrgyzstan
  15. Laos 1953
  16. Lebanon
  17. Malaysia
  18. Maldives 2017
  19. Myanmar 1886
  20. Nepal
  21. North Korea
  22. Oman
  23. Palestine
  24. Qatar 1915
  25. Saudi Arabia 1932
  26. Sri Lanka
  27. Syria
  28. Tajikistan 1994
  29. Timor-Leste
  30. Turkmenistan
  31. United Arab Emirates 1971
  32. Uzbekistan
  33. Vietnam 1992
  34. Yemen 1994
  35. Europe (9)
  36. Armenia
  37. Azerbaijan
  38. Belarus
  39. Liechtenstein
  40. Monaco
  41. Russia
  42. Switzerland
  43. Turkey 2018
  44. Vatican City
  45. North America (11)
  46. Antigua and Barbuda
  47. Bahamas
  48. Dominica
  49. Dominican Republic 2021
  50. Grenada
  51. Guatemala
  52. Haiti
  53. Jamaica
  54. Panama 2018
  55. Saint Kitts and Nevis
  56. Trinidad and Tobago 2001
  57. Africa (42)
  58. Algeria
  59. Benin
  60. Burkina Faso
  61. Burundi
  62. Cameroon 1972
  63. Central African Republic 2003
  64. Chad 2018
  65. Comoros
  66. Côte d’Ivoire
  67. Democratic Republic of the Congo
  68. Djibouti
  69. Egypt 1971
  70. Equatorial Guinea 1968
  71. Eritrea 1957
  72. Eswatini 1907
  73. Ethiopia
  74. Gabon
  75. Gambia
  76. Ghana
  77. Guinea 1988
  78. Guinea-Bissau
  79. Kenya
  80. Libya 1951
  81. Madagascar
  82. Malawi
  83. Mali
  84. Mauritania 1991
  85. Morocco
  86. Niger
  87. Nigeria
  88. Republic of the Congo
  89. Rwanda
  90. Senegal 1966
  91. Somalia 1962
  92. South Sudan 2011
  93. Sudan 1956
  94. Tanzania 1977
  95. Togo 1980
  96. Tunisia 1957
  97. Uganda
  98. Zambia
  99. Zimbabwe
  100. Oceania (6)
  101. Nauru 2016
  102. Palau
  103. Papua New Guinea 2002
  104. Solomon Islands
  105. Tonga
  106. Vanuatu
  107. South America (2)
  108. Guyana 1980
  109. Paraguay 1992

Varied, unclear, or unknown laws

Data on lgbt employment discrimination is unclear, not applicable, or missing in 5 regions.

  1. Asia (3)
  2. Afghanistan
  3. Japan Varies by Region
  4. South Korea Varies by Region
  5. North America (1)
  6. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambiguous
  7. Antarctica (1)
  8. Antarctica N/A

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