LGBT+ Rights Index in Sweden
Sweden: LGBT+ Rights Index was 16.38 in 2025. ▲ Rising
LGBT+ Rights Index in Sweden, 1991–2025
Source: Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, lgbt+ rights index in Sweden stood at 16.38. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of up 12.6% on the previous year and up 13.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lgbt+ rights index in Sweden peaked at 16.38 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.55, in 1991.
Sweden ranks 12th of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
LGBT+ Rights Index in Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.55 | — |
| 1992 | 5.55 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5.55 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5.55 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5.77 | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 5.77 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5.77 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5.77 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6.68 | +15.9% |
| 2000 | 6.68 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 6.68 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 9.43 | +41.1% |
| 2003 | 10.31 | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 10.39 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 10.47 | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 10.47 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10.56 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 12.39 | +17.4% |
| 2009 | 13.5 | +8.9% |
| 2010 | 13.17 | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 13.17 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 13.17 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 13.33 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 13.33 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 14.42 | +8.1% |
| 2016 | 14.42 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 14.54 | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 15.46 | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 15.46 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 15.54 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 15.62 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 14.54 | -6.9% |
| 2023 | 14.54 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 14.54 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 16.38 | +12.6% |
Sweden compared with similar countries
- Sweden's 16.38 is above the median for high income countries, which is 10.11, 1.6× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Sweden's 16.38 is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 10.28, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where LGBT+ Rights Index in Sweden changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | +41.1% | 6.68 | 9.43 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.77 | 5.55 | 6.68 | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.09 | 6.68 | 13.5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.05 | 13.17 | 15.46 | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.19 | 14.54 | 16.38 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More social development data for Sweden
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 144,116 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 1 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 128 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0136 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lgbt+ rights index in Sweden?
- Lgbt+ rights index in Sweden was 16.38 in 2025, according to Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 16.38 in 2025.
- What is the lowest lgbt+ rights index recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.55 in 1991.
- How does Sweden rank for lgbt+ rights index?
- Sweden ranks 12th out of 194 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lgbt+ rights index rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sweden data come from?
- The figures come from Velasco (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of LGBT+ Rights Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Summary measure of a country's LGBTI-related laws, calculated by subtracting the sum of its regressive policy scores from the sum of its progressive policy scores.