Cyprus ranked 30th among 49 European countries in ILGA Europe’s 2026 Rainbow Map, scoring 33.69 per cent on legislation and policies affecting LGBT people across the continent.

The annual index, published on Tuesday, assesses countries on areas including equality, non-discrimination, family rights, hate crime legislation, asylum protections and civic freedoms.

Cyprus remained below the EU average of 52.10 per cent, though it recorded its strongest score in the category of civil society space with 100 per cent.

In individual categories, Cyprus scored 19 per cent for equality and non-discrimination measures, 33 per cent for family rights, 46 per cent for hate crime and hate speech protections, and 33 per cent in asylum related protections.

Spain moved to the top of the ranking for the first time, overtaking Malta following the introduction of new legal protection measures and the establishment of an independent anti-discrimination authority.

ILGA Europe deputy director Katrin Hugendubel said Spain’s rise was “a powerful example of what can happen when a government consciously chooses to advance equality rather than retreat”.

Malta, Iceland, Belgium and Denmark completed the top five countries in the ranking.

At the lower end of the index, Russia and Azerbaijan each received scores of 2 per cent, while Turkey scored 5 per cent.

Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Romania and Ukraine also ranked near the bottom of the table.

The Rainbow Map is published annually by ILGA Europe and is widely used as a comparative measure of legal and policy developments affecting LGBT communities across Europe.

The organisation said the ranking reflects legislative and institutional frameworks rather than overall social attitudes or lived experiences within each country.