Is pornography legal in Saudi Arabia?
Illegal
Pornography is explicitly defined as a crime under Sharia Law.
Saudi Arabia is one of 49 countries classified “Illegal” for pornography — 71% of the 69 with data.
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Pornography laws by region
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Qatar
- Illegal Producing, importing, or possessing immoral materials for distribution is punishable by imprisonment or fines.
- Iraq
- Varies by region Pornography is banned in federal Iraq but not in the autonomous Kurdistan Region.
- Eritrea
- Illegal Public distribution, display, or trafficking of obscene or indecent publications is a criminal offence.
- Egypt
- Illegal Distribution of pornography is illegal, although possession and access are not criminalised.
- Djibouti
- Illegal The sale, manufacture, and distribution of all pornography are prohibited and punishable by imprisonment and fines.
- Iran
- Illegal Producing and distributing pornography is prohibited under Sharia-based law, with severe penalties including death.
Other laws in Saudi Arabia
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Death penalty possible
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Divorce
- Legal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- 18+
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.