Is prostitution legal in Rwanda?
Illegal
Selling sex is illegal for all parties, though a draft decriminalization bill was debated in 2017.
Rwanda is one of 101 countries classified “Illegal” for sex work — 46% 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
- Burundi
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Burundi, with recent crackdowns by law enforcement.
- Uganda
- Illegal Selling sex is illegal under the 1950 Penal Code.
- Tanzania
- Illegal Selling sex is a criminal offense, though it is widespread.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Legal & regulated Selling sex is legal in the DRC, though pimping and brothel operation are criminalized.
- Kenya
- Varies by region National law does not criminalize selling sex, but municipal by-laws like Nairobi's ban make it illegal in specific areas.
- South Sudan
- Legal & regulated Selling sex is legal, though related activities like soliciting are illegal.
Other laws in Rwanda
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Divorce
- Heavily restricted
- 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.