180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: Highly RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Not Recommended
Malaysia is Southeast Asia with the difficulty turned down: Penang's street food is the region's best-kept open secret, orangutans swing through Malaysian Borneo, and Sipadan ranks with the world's great dives. It's safe, peaceful and effortless to travel. But homosexuality is illegal and the law gets enforced — LGBT+ travellers should take this one off the list.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Malaysia: 0.7
Ranked 16th in the world for the lowest homicide rate.
0.69 homicides per 100,000 people in 2024 — killings here are genuinely rare.
Lower than 87% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Malaysia: 1.5
Ranked 19th most peaceful country in the world.
One of the twenty most peaceful countries on Earth — 13th of 163, scoring 1.469.
Barely moved — down one place since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Malaysia: 7.1
Ranked 74th freest country in the world.
Freer than 58% of the 165 countries measured — 7.11 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 6.79; doing business and owning property, 7.56.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Malaysia: Illegal
Ranked 55th least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Homosexuality is criminalised here, with a maximum penalty of twenty years imprisonment and whipping.
Public attitudes score 27 out of 100 — the law and public opinion are not the same thing.