Spain has topped ILGA-Europe’s Rainbow Map for the first time, the annual ranking that assesses laws and policies affecting LGBTI people in 49 European countries. The result ends Malta’s ten-year hold on the top position. In the new ranking, Malta takes second place, followed by Iceland, Belgium and Denmark.

According to ILGA-Europe, Spain’s rise to first place is the result of several improvements, including stronger protections against discrimination, national strategies for LGBTI and trans rights, and better legal recognition for trans people. The organisation also highlights Spain’s efforts to defend existing trans protections against attempts by far-right parties to roll them back.

However, ILGA-Europe stresses that the Rainbow Map measures laws and policies, not the everyday reality for LGBTI people. In Spain, that gap remains visible. According to the Spanish LGTBI+ Federation, reports of violence against LGBTI people have risen sharply over the past two years, partly linked to a growing climate of hate speech.

Across Europe, ILGA-Europe points to both progress and setbacks. Countries including Czechia, Latvia and Sweden have taken steps on legal gender recognition, while the organisation warns of worrying developments in countries such as Belarus, Turkey, Slovakia and Russia, where LGBTI rights are increasingly under pressure.

Russia remains at the bottom of the ranking. The five lowest-ranked countries are Armenia, Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia. According to ILGA-Europe, this year’s Rainbow Map shows how strongly political choices can affect the protection of LGBTI people in Europe, with Spain presented as an example of a country choosing to expand and defend equal rights.