Is prostitution legal in Zambia?

Legal & regulated

Selling sex is legal, while soliciting and procuring are prohibited.

Zambia 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 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

Malawi
Legal & regulated Selling sex is legal and prevalent, although living off the proceeds of prostitution is illegal.
Zimbabwe
Illegal Sex work is explicitly stated to be illegal in Zimbabwe, including solicitation and brothel keeping.
Mozambique
Legal & regulated Selling sex is legal and widely practised, although the country also contains illegal brothels.
Tanzania
Illegal Selling sex is a criminal offense, though it is widespread.
Burundi
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Burundi, with recent crackdowns by law enforcement.
Botswana
Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is not illegal, but related activities like soliciting and brothel keeping are.

Other laws in Zambia

Same-Sex Activity
Illegal
Age of Consent
16–17
Pornography
Illegal
Divorce
Heavily restricted
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Zambia → · 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.