Is prostitution legal in Burkina Faso?

Decriminalized / unregulated

Selling sex is not prohibited, but soliciting and pimping are illegal.

Burkina Faso 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

Ghana
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Ghana.
Togo
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Togo, while related activities like solicitation and procuring are prohibited.
Mali
Legal & regulated Prostitution is explicitly stated to be legal in Mali, though third-party activities are illegal.
Benin
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal, but brothel keeping and benefiting from others' prostitution are illegal.
Côte d'Ivoire
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal, but associated activities like soliciting and running brothels are illegal.
Liberia
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Liberia.

Other laws in Burkina Faso

Same-Sex Marriage
Not recognized
Same-Sex Activity
Illegal
Age of Consent
18+
Divorce
Legal
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Burkina Faso → · Where is sex work legal? →

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.