which country has the most lgbtq people
The country with the most LGBTQ people in absolute numbers is very likely India or China, simply because they have the largest populations, but this is not directly measured and is mostly an informed estimate. The country with the highest reported percentage of people openly identifying as LGBT+ in recent large surveys is Brazil (around 14–15% of adults), followed by countries like Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and Sweden in the low‑to‑mid teens.
What “most LGBTQ people” really means
When people ask “which country has the most LGBTQ people?” there are two different ideas:
- Largest number of LGBTQ people (headcount).
- Highest share of the population that identifies as LGBTQ (percentage).
For headcount, demographers point out that the biggest populations (India, China) almost certainly have the biggest LGBTQ populations, even if many people do not use Western labels like “LGBTQ” or are not openly out. For percentage, the answer comes from opinion surveys, which are heavily influenced by how safe and socially acceptable it is to come out.
Countries with the highest reported percentage
Recent international surveys of adults show some clear leaders in terms of self‑reported LGBT+ identity.
- Brazil : about 14–15% of adults identify as LGBT+.
- Spain : roughly 10–14%, depending on the survey year and method.
- Switzerland, Canada, Sweden, United States, Germany : typically in the 10–13% range.
These numbers reflect people who feel safe enough to tick an LGBT+ box in a poll, not the total number of LGBTQ people who exist.
Why the numbers are so uncertain
Counting LGBTQ populations is tricky and imperfect. Researchers and forum discussions often highlight several issues.
- Stigma and safety: In countries where being LGBTQ can lead to discrimination or criminal penalties, many people will not disclose their identity in surveys at all.
- Different labels and cultures: Not everyone uses “LGBTQ” as a term; people may have local identities or simply avoid labels, even if their behavior or feelings would fit under “LGBTQ” in another context.
- Survey design: Online polls, age limits (for example, 16–74 only), and wording (“gay or lesbian”, “bisexual”, “transgender”, “queer”, etc.) all change the percentages.
Because of this, experts usually treat these figures as estimates of who feels able to identify openly , not a full census of everyone under the LGBTQ umbrella.
Big-population countries with large LGBTQ communities
Even if they do not top the charts in percentage terms, some countries are almost certain to have very large LGBTQ populations in raw numbers because of their huge overall populations.
- India and China: Forum discussions and demographic logic both note that with over a billion people each, these countries likely have the largest LGBTQ populations in the world in absolute terms, even if most people are not openly using “LGBTQ” labels.
- United States, Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria: These populous countries also likely have multi‑million LGBTQ communities, though visibility and legal protections vary widely.
Some media and data‑driven lists also highlight countries such as France, Spain, Thailand, and the United Kingdom as having multi‑million LGBTQ populations when combining percentage estimates with population size.
Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.