Twice as many LGBTQ+ people in US than in 2012, study shows

According to the study, the rate of LGBTQ+ identification in the United States remained steady at 9% last year.

Data from telephone interviews conducted in 2025 gallup A survey of more than 13,000 U.S. adults found that approximately 9% of U.S. adults identify within the LGBTQ+ community.

While this percentage is unchanged from the previous year, it is still more than double what it was in 2012, the first year Gallup measured the LGBTQ+ population.

From 2021 to 2023, Gallup measured approximately 7%.

This result was the result of asking whether respondents identified themselves as straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or something else.

A majority, 86%, said they identified as straight, and 9% said they identified with one of the LGBTQ+ identities. 5% did not respond.

LGBTQ+ adults are the most likely to say they are bisexual, representing about 5% of the total U.S. adult population.

Meanwhile, 17 percent of LGBTQ+ adults identify as gay, 16 percent as lesbian, and 12 percent as transgender, each representing 1 to 2 percent of all U.S. adults.

Since Gallup began measuring LGBTQ+ identities as a separate category in 2020, we’ve found that bisexual identities have consistently been the most common, and are growing.

In 2020, just over 3% of U.S. adults identified themselves as bisexual, compared to just over 5% today.

But it’s not just bisexual identities that are on the rise. All other identities are increasing as well.

We find that the increase in LGBTQ+ identities is driven by a higher proportion of adults under 30 years of age. Women also have higher rates of LGBTQ+ identity, and Democrats are more likely to report being part of the community than Republicans.

Last year, a report from dating app Hinge revealed that Gen Z is more open-minded than Millennials when it comes to sexuality.

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