Is prostitution legal in Cape Verde?

Decriminalized / unregulated

Selling sex is legal, with no specific laws prohibiting it except for trafficking.

Cape Verde 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

The Gambia
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in The Gambia.
Senegal
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in Senegal with specific requirements for registration and health checks.
Mauritania
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Mauritania.
Guinea
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Guinea.
Sierra Leone
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Sierra Leone, though soliciting and third-party involvement are prohibited.
Liberia
Illegal Prostitution is explicitly stated to be illegal in Liberia.

Other laws in Cape Verde

Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
16–17
Incest Laws
Legal between adults

Every law in Cape Verde → · 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.