LGBT Statistics for 2023

Mar 18, 2021

LGBTQ individuals come from many different walks of life. All across the US, there are many different kinds of LGBT people that identify in many different ways. Have you ever thought about how big the LGBT population is in the US? Well, according to the latest Gallop survey, 5.6% of Americans identify as LGBT. This was up from the previous poll of 4.5% in 2017.

Article Contents

Gay Population Percentage in the US: What Percentage of the Population is Gay or Lesbian?

LGBTQ+: What Percentage of the Population is LGBTQ+?

Gay Population Among Younger Generations: What Percentage of the Population is Gay or Lesbian by Generation

The newest Gallop poll provided us with an updated view on how the LGBT population self-identifies. Below, you’ll find some of the most important statistics revealed about the LGBT community:

Statistics (Editors Picks)

5.6% of Americans identify as LGBT, according to Gallups latest poll on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender identification (up 4.5% from the 2017 poll)
- 24.5% Identified as Gay
- 11.7% Identified as Lesbian
- 54.6% identified as Bisexual
- 11.3 Identfied as Transgender

Gay Population in the US

What Percentage of People are Gay or Lesbian

Photo Credit: Markus Spiske on Unsplash

5.6% of Americans Identify as LGBT according to Gallups latest poll on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender identification.

In the latest Gallop poll, 15,000 interviews were conducted to gather data and learn more about the current LGBT identifications. The data showed that 5.6% of Americans now identify as LGBT, which is up from 4.5% compared with the 2017 poll. The recent poll also said that 24.5% of respondents identified as gay and 11.7% identified as Lesbian.

Key Statistics:

5.6% of Americans Identify as LGBT, according to Gallups latest poll on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender identification which is up from 4.5 from the 2017 poll. 24.5% Identified as Gay and 11.7% Identified as Lesbian.

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbt-identification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx

LGBTQ+

What percent of the population is LGBTQ+?

Photo Credit: Ruan Richard on Unsplash

More than half of the LGBT respondents (56.6%) identified as Bisexual

An interesting takeaway from the latest Gallop poll is that more than half of the LGBT respondents (56.6%) identified as Bisexual. Compared to almost a quarter (24.5) of the LGBT population that identifies as gay. The data also showed that 11.3% identified as Transgender and 3.3% identified as other. (e.g., queer, same-gender-loving)

Key Statistics:

54.6% identified as Bisexual
11.3 Identfied as Transgender
3.3% Identified as Other (e.g., queer, same-gender-loving)

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbt-identification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx

Gay Population Among Generations

What percentage of the Generational Population Identify as LGBT

Photo Credit: Ron McCutcheon on Unsplash

Gen Z has the highest identification of the LGBT population, with 15.9%

The latest poll was able to break down the way different generations of the LGBT population identified as LGBT and how they identified. Below, you’ll find data for LGBT identification by Generation and Self-Identified Sexual Orientation by Generation.

Key Statistics:

LGBT Identification by Generation

Gen Z (born 1997-2002) 15.9%
Millennials (born 1981-1996) 9.1%
Generation X (born 1965-1980) 3.8%
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) 2.0%
Traditionalists (born before 1946) 1.3%

Gallop Poll American's Identify Sexual Orientation by Generation

Sources: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbt-identification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx

Other LGBT Statistics

How People Decide to Identify

Women are more likely to identify as LGBT than men (6.4% vs. 4.9%).

The latest Gallup poll also brought some other LGBT statistics. Gallop confirmed that women are more likely to identify as LGBT than men. (6.4% vs. 4.9). Also, women are more likely to identify as bisexual than men. (4.3% vs 1.8%). Politically speaking, 13% of LGBT people identified as liberal, 4.4% identified as moderate, and 2.3% identified as conservative. Finally, there were no meaningful educational differences. 5.6% were college graduates, and 5.7% were non-graduates.

Key Statistics:

Women are more likely to identify as LGBT than men. (6.4% vs. 4.9%)
Women are more likely to identify as Bisexual (4.3% vs. 1.8%) than men
Women Identify
- Bisexual 4.3%
- Lesbian 1.3%
- Something else 1.8%
Men Identify
- Gay 2.5%
- Bisexual 1.8%
- Something else 0.6%

How LGBT People Politicly Identify

13% Liberal
4.4% Moderate
2.3% Conservative

Political Idiology

8.8% Identify as Democrat
6.5% identify as Indipendant
1.7% identify as Republican

No Meaningful Educational Differences

5.6% College Graduates
5.7% Non-Graduates

Sources: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbt-identification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx

Conclusion

As years go by, society has been becoming more accepting of and welcoming to the LBGT community. In a few years, the percentage of people that identify as LGBT went up from 4.5% to 5.6%. The increase of LBGT representation in mainstream media has helped pave the way for a more welcoming and inclusive society. As a result, LGBT people feel more comfortable with being openly themselves in and out of the public.

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/329708/lgbt-identification-rises-latest-estimate.aspx