Afghanistan Gay Travel Index 2026
Score = Legal 5/60 + Scene 0/40 = 5/100 · thin scene coverage — legal-weighted provisional score
Updated 15 Oct 2026 · release 2026.3.
A live score, not an annual report — it recomputes as laws, rulings and the scene itself change. See what moved in 2026.
Legal composite · Legal milestones · Scene on the ground · Frequently asked questions
Same-sex intimacy is criminalized or actively repressed here. Consult your government travel advisories before any trip; this listing is informational, not an endorsement of travel.
Legal composite — 5/60 points
| Criminalization | Death penalty |
|---|---|
| Partnership | ● No not recognised |
| Anti-discrimination | ● No |
| Gender recognition | Not possible — no legal gender recognition |
| Enforcement reality | Severe — systematic state persecution |
Research note: Taliban capital enforcement; systematic persecution documented — GayOut Index 2026.3 legal research (ILGA World / Human Dignity Trust / Rainbow Europe / Equaldex).
Legal composite, five components
Fulfilment per component (100 = maximum). Weights: criminalisation 35% · partnership 20% · enforcement 20% · anti-discrimination 15% · gender recognition 10%.
Legal milestones
Background, not travel advice — how the current status came to be. For planning a trip, rely on the current score, tier and scene sections above; 2026 movements are tracked in the sourced change log.
- 1976The penal code punished pederasty and related acts, grounding criminalisation of same-sex intimacy alongside Sharia provisions. ↗
- 1996The first Taliban regime executed men accused of sodomy, including by collapsing stone walls onto the condemned. ↗
- 2018A new penal code explicitly criminalised same-sex relations for the first time in modern Afghan law. ↗
- 2021The Taliban returned to power; rights groups documented dozens of killings, torture and targeted attacks on LGBTQ Afghans. ↗
- 2025The ICC prosecutor sought arrest warrants against Taliban leaders, citing persecution of LGBTQ people among the charges. ↗
- TodaySame-sex intimacy remained punishable by death under Taliban rule, with no legal protections of any kind. ↗
Sources: ILGA World · Human Dignity Trust · Equaldex. Each milestone links to a reference source ↗.
Scene on the ground — 0/40 points
Detailed scene metrics (for researchers)
| Gay bars per million | — |
|---|---|
| Saunas per million | — |
| Events per million | 0 |
| Coverage grade | — |
| Scene score | 0/40 (raw scene index 0/100) |
Frequently asked questions
Is Afghanistan safe for gay travellers?
Afghanistan is rated Death-penalty risk on the GayOut Gay Travel Index 2026: same-sex intimacy is criminalized and can carry the death penalty. Its legal safety component is 5/60. On enforcement reality, systematic state persecution is documented.
Is same-sex marriage legal in Afghanistan?
No. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Afghanistan. Overall legal status: Death penalty.
Does Afghanistan have a gay scene?
GayOut currently lists no LGBTQ+ venues in Afghanistan, so any gay scene is limited, informal or not publicly documented.