There are a few factors that affect who is impacted by the laws represented in these charts. Some places criminalize certain "unnatural" sexual activity regardless of the participants' genders. Some places don't allow single people to adopt children, whether they're queer or not.

In addition, getting data on who identifies as queer (or any other identity label) can be tricky. Some might choose not to self-report on surveys, because of fears of social stigma. Others might not identify a certain way at the time of surveying, but may change their labels later.

For these reasons, the population numbers shown by these charts represent the entire population of the places that have each law in effect, not just a subset that might identify as queer.

Some areas of the world are considered much more queer-friendly than others, but some places defy those expectations (in good or bad ways). While we may consider "developed" and "developing" parts of the world as distinct, monolithic regions, there is a lot of variation within those categories.

The Global North, or "first world," is typically associated with progressive ideals; meanwhile, the Global South, or "third world," may be viewed in less flattering light.

But in terms of laws governing queerness, the places appearing on these lists might subvert our preconceived ideas about the world.