Is prostitution legal in Uruguay?

Legal & regulated

Sex work is legal and regulated under the 2002 sex work law.

Uruguay 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 the Americas
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

Argentina
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal under federal law in Argentina, though organized prostitution is illegal.
Paraguay
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is legal for adults, but related activities like brothel keeping are prohibited.
Chile
Legal & regulated Adult prostitution is legal and regulated in Chile, while brothels and pimping are prohibited.
Bolivia
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in Bolivia, restricted to registered prostitutes in licensed brothels.
Falkland Islands
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in the Falkland Islands, though solicitation and brothels are prohibited.
Brazil
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is not criminal in Brazil, but operating brothels or employing sex workers is illegal.

Other laws in Uruguay

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

Every law in Uruguay → · 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.