Is prostitution legal in Benin?
Decriminalized / unregulated
Selling sex is legal, but brothel keeping and benefiting from others' prostitution are illegal.
Benin is one of 38 countries classified “Decriminalized / unregulated” for sex work — 17% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Prostitution in Africa
- 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
- Togo
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Togo, while related activities like solicitation and procuring are prohibited.
- Ghana
- Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Ghana.
- Burkina Faso
- Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is not prohibited, but soliciting and pimping are illegal.
- Nigeria
- Varies by region The legal status varies by region, with specific penalties in the South and Islamic law in the North.
- Niger
- Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Niger.
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal, but associated activities like soliciting and running brothels are illegal.
Other laws in Benin
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- 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.