180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Not Recommended
Sri Lanka squeezes an unreasonable amount into one small island: the rock fortress of Sigiriya, the hill-country train to Ella through endless tea, leopards in Yala, and beaches all the way around. It's calm, cheap and famously welcoming. But homosexuality remains illegal, which is the one thing keeping it off LGBT+ travellers' lists.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Sri Lanka: 2.5
Ranked 78th in the world for the lowest homicide rate.
2.51 homicides per 100,000 people in 2022 — a low rate by world standards.
Lower than 57% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Sri Lanka: 2.1
Ranked 67th least peaceful country in the world.
More peaceful than 40% of the 163 countries ranked, scoring 2.075.
Up 2 places since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Sri Lanka: 6.2
Ranked 66th least free country in the world.
Less free than 67% of the 165 countries measured — 6.23 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 6.53; doing business and owning property, 5.81.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Sri Lanka: Illegal
Ranked 55th least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Homosexuality is criminalised here, with a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment and a fine.
Public attitudes score 34 out of 100 — the law and public opinion are not the same thing.