A new ranking has set out to identify the most “sexually liberal” cities in the world.
The German adult website Erobella analyzed 41 major cities to compile the list.
Researchers used four main criteria when working out how “sexually liberal” a city might be.
These included: ‘Sex Life’, or the number of sex stores per 100k of the population; the number of LGBTQ bars and events and anti-discrimination laws; the legal status of sex workers and the number of organizations to support such workers; and contraception use and women’s reproductive rights (‘Health’).
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The city that came out on top, by some margin, was Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
“Amsterdam takes the crown with perfect marks on sex-work freedom … and the most balanced all-round profile of any city measured. No rival comes within ten points,” Erobella noted.
Amsterdam has long been known for its large gay scene, bathhouses, and Red Light district. Last weekend, it hosted the World Pride celebrations.
After Amsterdam, and rising from fourth place in last year’s ranking, Vancouver in Canada took silver. It’s the highest-ranked city in North America.
“The story of the 2026 index is Vancouver. The city climbs from 4th to 2nd place, recording its best-ever result and cementing its reputation as Canada’s most sexually liberal city. No other Canadian city comes close in the global ranking,” Erobella said.
“Vancouver’s success is driven by its outstanding performance across health, equality and legal indicators. Canada’s progressive legal framework around reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ protections and gender equality provides a strong foundation, while Vancouver’s thriving queer community, inclusive nightlife and active Pride scene help push it ahead of every other city in North America.”
Taking third place was Manchester in the UK, followed by Cologne in Germany.
What about US cities?
In terms of US cities, two placed within the top ten: San Francisco (at number five) and Miami (at number 10). San Francisco, unsurprisingly, scored top for its LGBTQ life. Miami was the highest-ranked city regarding sex life (the number of adult establishments per 100k).
The other US cities on the list were Atlanta (12), San Diego (26), Los Angeles (27), New York City (32), Dallas (35), and Houston (38).
Check out the full table of results below.
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