Is prostitution legal in Germany?

Legal & regulated

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Germany, including brothels and advertising.

Germany is one of 61 countries classified “Legal & regulated” for sex work — 28% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Prostitution in Europe
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

Luxembourg
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in specific zones, while organized prostitution and pimping remain illegal.
Netherlands
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated, with specific penalties for buying sex from exploited workers.
Czech Republic
Legal & regulated Selling sex is legal, but brothels and procuring are prohibited, though enforcement is lax.
Austria
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in Austria, with specific restrictions on location and age.
Belgium
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is decriminalized in Belgium as of June 2022, while pimping remains prohibited.
Liechtenstein
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Liechtenstein, though police tolerate it if it is not street prostitution.

Other laws in Germany

Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage legal
Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
14–15
Divorce
Heavily restricted
Non-Binary Recognition
Limited recognition
Same-Sex Adoption
Joint adoption legal
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Germany → · 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.