About 10.6% of Japan identifies as LGBTQ+ in 2026, survey suggests

The results of a new LGBTQ+ survey are in, and just in time for Pride Month. Advertising and PR company Dentsu Japan has released the findings of its aptly named ‘LGBTQ+ Survey 2026’ conducted earlier this year.

The survey questioned 46,658 individuals aged 20 to 59. Of those surveyed, around 10.6% self-identified as belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.

This year's LGBTQ+ survey was the sixth carried out by Dentsu. The last one was in 2023 and reported that about 9.7% of participants identified as LGBTQ+, which was an increase from 8.9% in the company's 2020 survey.

But how do these rates compare globally? Multinational market research and consulting firm Ipsos performed an international LGBTQ+ survey in 2025.

Brazil rated highest, with 14% of individuals surveyed identifying as LGBTQ+. Canada, Sweden, the US and Germany occupied the remaining Top 5.

It's worth noting that Ipsos’ survey listed Japan’s LGBTQ+ rate at only 5%, though this may be due to the significantly smaller sample size of 1,000 the company used for the country, compared to Ddentsu Japan's 46,658 used in 2026.

A second portion of Dentsu’s survey involved 6,240 participants; the results showed growing support across a range of LGBTQ+ issues from queer-inclusive curricula to marriage equality.

Around 81.7% of those surveyed expressed support for education on diverse sexual and gender identities, as only 9.8% reported receiving such information in their own education.

Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Japan, though about 67% of those surveyed supported its legalisation. Japan's Supreme Court is expected to announce its ruling on the matter as early as next year.

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