Where is sex work legal?
How sex work (also searched as prostitution) is treated in 219 countries, from sources last checked September 2026. Choose a country for its classification, the source, and how its neighbours compare.
- Legal & regulated 61 countries (28%), including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Turkey.
- Decriminalized / unregulated 38 countries (17%), including Brazil, Thailand, Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
- Buying illegal (Nordic model) 10 countries (5%), including France, Canada, Sweden and Israel.
- Illegal 101 countries (46%), including China, Indonesia, Pakistan and Russia.
- Varies by region 9 countries (4%), including India, United States, Nigeria and Mexico.
Legal & regulated 61
- Algeria
- Argentina
- Austria
- Bangladesh
- Bolivia
- British Virgin Islands
- Bulgaria
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chile
- Colombia
- Cook Islands
- Cuba
- Czech Republic
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- French Polynesia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Luxembourg
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Monaco
- Montserrat
- Mozambique
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Norfolk Island
- North Macedonia
- Panama
- Peru
- Poland
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Sudan
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Tajikistan
- Togo
- Tonga
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Zambia
Decriminalized / unregulated 38
- Anguilla
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Honduras
- Isle of Man
- Jersey
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malta
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Paraguay
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
Buying illegal (Nordic model) 10
Illegal 101
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- American Samoa
- Angola
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Chad
- China
- Comoros
- Croatia
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eswatini
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guam
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Liberia
- Libya
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Macau
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Niger
- Niue
- North Korea
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Saint-Martin
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Principe
- Saudi Arabia
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- The Gambia
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United States Virgin Islands
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Zimbabwe
Varies by region 9
- Australia
- India
- Kenya
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Nigeria
- United Kingdom
- United States
In the United States, state by state
- Alabama
- Illegal
- Alaska
- Illegal
- Arizona
- Illegal
- Arkansas
- Illegal
- California
- Illegal
- Colorado
- Illegal
- Connecticut
- Illegal
- Delaware
- Illegal
- District of Columbia
- Illegal
- Florida
- Illegal
- Georgia
- Illegal
- Hawaii
- Illegal
- Idaho
- Illegal
- Illinois
- Illegal
- Indiana
- Illegal
- Iowa
- Illegal
- Kansas
- Illegal
- Kentucky
- Illegal
- Louisiana
- Illegal
- Maine
- Buying illegal (Nordic model)
- Maryland
- Illegal
- Massachusetts
- Illegal
- Michigan
- Illegal
- Minnesota
- Illegal
- Mississippi
- Illegal
- Missouri
- Illegal
- Montana
- Illegal
- Nebraska
- Illegal
- Nevada
- Legal & regulated
- New Hampshire
- Illegal
- New Jersey
- Illegal
- New Mexico
- Illegal
- New York
- Illegal
- North Carolina
- Illegal
- North Dakota
- Illegal
- Ohio
- Illegal
- Oklahoma
- Illegal
- Oregon
- Illegal
- Pennsylvania
- Illegal
- Rhode Island
- Illegal
- South Carolina
- Illegal
- South Dakota
- Illegal
- Tennessee
- Illegal
- Texas
- Illegal
- Utah
- Illegal
- Vermont
- Illegal
- Virginia
- Illegal
- Washington
- Illegal
- West Virginia
- Illegal
- Wisconsin
- Illegal
- Wyoming
- Illegal
About this data
Compiled from Wikipedia: Prostitution in Asia, Wikipedia: Prostitution in Africa, Wikipedia: Prostitution in the Americas, Wikipedia: Prostitution in Europe, Wikipedia: Prostitution in Oceania; sources last checked 17 September 2026. The full dataset is available as JSON.
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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.