Where is prostitution legal? Country by country
The legal status of every country in our base — 37 so far — in plain words: what is legal, what is grey, what is enforced. Laws change; always verify your own jurisdiction.
18+ only. Informational; legality varies by jurisdiction.
Fully legal & regulated
Licensed venues, registered workers, clear rules — the most regulated end of the spectrum.
Legal with caveats
The core activity is legal for adults, but organising, soliciting or brothel-keeping may not be — details decide.
Restricted or illegal
Criminalised in writing, sometimes tolerated in practice — enforcement risk is part of the picture.
Questions
Does “legal” mean safe?
No. Legality and safety are different questions: regulated markets still document scams and robberies, and informally tolerated ones carry enforcement risk. Check the safety categories on each city page.
What about enforcement?
Written law and street-level enforcement are not the same thing: raids and local crackdowns come and go. Current, city-level enforcement nuances are one bot question away.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws and enforcement change — always verify your own jurisdiction before acting on anything here.