Pride and Progress Report

At Stonewall we are working to make the world a safe and equal place for LGBTQ+ people to live, work and thrive. 

That is why, in collaboration with Freshfields, we are proud to launch the first edition of a new global LGBTQ+ equality report: Pride & Progress. 

Pride & Progress highlights significant developments in laws affecting LGBTQ+ communities around the world. It provides an overview of the global equality landscape, and highlights countries where there has been progress towards equality, and where significant setbacks have been made. 

This report comes at a time of global turbulence. We have seen time and again that hard-won rights can be – and are being – rolled back. In the US, the overturning of Roe vs Wade in 2022 is perhaps one of the most significant examples of how well-established rights remain fragile. Closer to home, the UK continues to fall down the ILGA rankings, remaining at an historic low of 22nd place. 

However, there are wins to celebrate. Spain sits on top of the ILGA rankings for the first time, Thailand has become the first country in southeast Asia to legislate for marriage equality, and Saint Lucia has become the latest country to decriminalize consensual same-sex sexual relations. These are just some of the good news stories. 

Of course, the landscape will continue to rapidly evolve and develop throughout the remainder of 2026 and beyond. The ILGA World Database provides comprehensive real time mapping of LGBTQ+ rights across the globe and can be used in conjunction with this report and resources developed by other organisations.  

Knowledge and data are essential, and this report demonstrates unequivocally the recent legal, social and political changes that have and will impact LGBTQ+ communities around the world. While some of it is a tough read, it helps us clearly understand some of the challenges we face as we continue the campaign for universal human rights and continue the long march for equality. 

We thank Freshfields for their support, with this report. Members of the Proud Employers Programme can access the full report on the Proud Employers Members Hub.  

If you are not a Proud Employer, please reach out to us to discuss joining the programme where you can access the full report and much more. In the meantime, we welcome you to download a shortened version of the report below.

Download the report 

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