Afghanistan Illegal Married women who had sex outside marriage were stoned to death. Although prostitution is illegal in Afghanistan. Many considered 'temporary marriages' a form of prostitution. Temporary marriages lasted from one day to a few months, in exchange for a dowry.

Albania Illegal The law prohibits prostitution; however, it remained a problem

Algeria Illegal

Andorra Illegal

Angola Illegal Prostitution is illegal, but the prohibition was not consistently enforced. Many women engaged in prostitution due to poverty

Antigua and Barbuda Illegal but it remained a problem. There were a number of brothels that catered primarily to the local population

Argentina Legal Prostitution by individuals over the age of 18 is legal, but the promotion, facilitation, or exploitation of persons into prostitution is illegal.

Armenia Legal Prostitution and sex tourism are legal, but operating a brothel is prohibited and engaging in other forms of pimping are punishable by one to 10 years imprisonment

Australia Click here

Australian Capital Territory Legal However, soliciting or loitering in a public place for the purpose of prostitution remains an offence.

Northern Territory Legal

New South Wales Decriminalised In 1988 changes were made to laws in New South Wales which prohibit street prostitution in residential zones, but allow it on commercial streets.

Queensland Legal

South Australia restricted Prostitution is not illegal, but the soliciting, procuring, keeping a brothel, receiving money paid in a brothel in respect of prostitution or living on the earnings of prostitution are illegal, which makes it illegal in effect. The definition of a brothel is wide enough to include women working who work alone.

Tasmania Legal

Victoria Legal Brothels are permitted in the central area of the City of Melbourne. In all other areas, a brothel must not be within 100 metres of a dwelling or 200 metres of a church, hospital, school, kindergarten, children’s services centre or any other facility frequented by children.

Western Australia Legal

Austria Legal Laws regulating prostitution require prostitutes to register, undergo periodic health examinations, and pay taxes

Azerbaijan Illegal

Bahamas, The Illegal

Bahrain Illegal

Bangladesh restricted Female prostitution was legal. Male prostitution was illegal

Barbados Illegal but it remained a problem, fueled by poverty and tourism

Belarus Illegal it is an administrative--rather than a criminal—offense

Belgium Legal

Belize Legal The law does not explicitly address adult prostitution, and the government did not use law enforcement resources to combat prostitution

Benin Legal those who facilitate prostitution and individuals who profit financially from prostitution, including traffickers and brothel owners, face penalties including imprisonment

Bhutan Illegal Prostitution took place on a limited scale and mostly in border regions

Bolivia Legal legal for individuals age 18 and older

Bosnia and Herzegovina Illegal prostitution and solicitation are misdemeanors punishable by a fine only

Botswana Illegal but was widespread. Enforcement was sporadic and complicated by vague laws that made it easier to charge violators with offenses such as unruly conduct or loitering than for prostitution

Brazil Legal There are no regulations for adult prostitution, but exploiting it through associated activities, such as operating a brothel, is illegal

Brunei Illegal

Bulgaria No laws is not specifically addressed in the law

Burkina Faso Legal

Burundi Illegal there were private brothels in urban areas, and women engaged in prostitution independently in high-traffic and tourist areas around Lake Tanganyika. While police did not aggressively attempt to curb prostitution, there was no reliable evidence that they participated in or profited from the sex trade

Cambodia Illegal The constitution prohibits prostitution; however, there is no specific legislation against working in prostitution

Cameroon Illegal it was tolerated and practiced predominantly in urban areas and places frequented by tourists

Canada Legal but the law prohibits pimping; operating, being found in, or working in a brothel; and communicating in a public place for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. Prostitution exists throughout the country, particularly in major urban centers.

Cape Verde Legal

Central African Republic Legal The new penal code does not specifically prohibit prostitution, but it does criminalize procuring. Procurers can receive prison sentences

Chad Illegal it was prevalent in larger urban areas and in the south

Chile Legal

China Illegal

Colombia Legal The law prohibits organizing or facilitating sexual tourism and provides penalties of three to eight years' imprisonment

Comoros Illegal was not openly practiced except at a few hotels frequented by foreigners. Arrests for prostitution were rare

Congo, Republic of the Illegal but was common, and the government did not effectively enforce this prohibition

Congo, Democratic Republic of the restricted The constitution prohibits forced prostitution and bans prostitution of children under age 18

Costa Rica Legal The penal code prohibits individuals from promoting or facilitating the prostitution of persons of either sex, regardless of the persons age

Côte d'Ivoire Legal but associated activities such as soliciting, pandering or running brothels are illegal

Croatia Illegal widespread and generally punishable by fines

Cuba Legal legal for persons over age 17

Cyprus Legal It is illegal to live off the profits of prostitution, however, and police routinely arrested pimps under this section of the law

Czech Republic Legal

Denmark Legal procuring, coercion into prostitution, solicitation of prostitution from a minor, and trafficking are illegal

Djibouti Illegal

Dominica Illegal but authorities rarely enforced laws against it

Dominican Republic Legal there are some prohibitions against sex with minors, and it is illegal for a third party to derive financial gain from prostitution. However, the government usually did not enforce prostitution laws. Sex tourism existed throughout the country

Ecuador Legal legal for persons over the age of 18 as long as the prostitution businesses are registered with the government and follow health regulations

Egypt Illegal

El Salvador Legal the law prohibits inducing, facilitating, promoting, giving incentives to a person to work as a prostitute, or paying anyone under the age of 18 for sexual services

Equatorial Guinea Illegal

Eritrea Illegal

Estonia Legal

Ethiopia Legal legal for persons over age 18 and was commonly practiced around the country; however, the law prohibits pimping and benefiting from the prostitution of others

Fiji Illegal but it occurred, particularly in cities

Finland Legal but pimping, pandering, selling, and purchasing sexual services in public is illegal. Prostitution was generally limited to private apartments and nightclubs in larger cities

France Legal the law prohibits procuring, aiding, assisting, maintaining, publicly soliciting, or profiting from the prostitution of another

French Guiana Illegal

Gabon Illegal it was not a widespread problem

Gambia, The Illegal however, it was a major problem, particularly in tourist areas

Georgia Illegal

Germany Legal although communities have the authority to exclude it from specified areas, such as residential neighborhoods

Ghana Illegal

Greece Legal legal at the age of 18. Persons engaged in prostitution must register at the local prefecture and carry a medical card that is updated every two weeks

Grenada Illegal

Guatemala Legal procuring and inducing a person into prostitution are crimes that can result in fines or imprisonment, with heavier penalties if minors are involved

Guinea Illegal

Guinea-Bissau No laws

Guyana Illegal

Haiti Illegal but it remained a widespread practice, particularly among women and girls. Police generally ignored prostitution

Honduras Legal legal for adults over the age of 18 and relatively widespread, the law prohibits promoting or facilitating prostitution

Hong Kong Legal but there are laws against activities such as public solicitation, causing or procuring another to be a prostitute, living on the prostitution of others, or keeping a vice establishment

Hungary Legal but persons engaged in prostitution could only work legally in certain locations away from schools and churches

Iceland restricted however, in April the parliament passed legislation criminalizing the buying of sexual services. The law also prohibits advertising for prostitution and prohibits a third party, or pimp, from profiting from prostitution or procurement of sexual services. It is also illegal for a person to rent facilities for prostitution

India restricted most activities, such as selling, procuring, and exploiting any person for commercial sex or profiting from the prostitution of another individual, are illegal

Indonesia No laws Prostitution is not specifically addressed in the law. However, many officials interpreted "crimes against decency/morality" to apply to prostitution. Prostitution was widespread and largely tolerated, despite its contradiction with popular societal and religious norms.

Iran Illegal but it took place under the legal cover of sigheh (temporary marriage)

Iraq Illegal

Ireland Legal It was also illegal to keep or to manage a brothel. Reports of, and arrests for, these crimes were rare

Israel Legal widespread but not highly visible

Italy Legal

Jamaica Illegal it was widespread, particularly in tourist areas

Japan restricted Prostitution is illegal(only coitus act) but narrowly defined. Many sexual acts(non-coitus act) for pay that would be considered prostitution in other countries are legal.

Jordan Illegal but police and citizens reported its occurrence in certain restaurants and nightclubs throughout the country

Kazakhstan Legal although forced prostitution, prostitution connected to organized crime

Kenya Illegal but was widespread. While operating a brothel is illegal, soliciting prostitution is not a crime. Police arrested women engaged in prostitution. High rates of prostitution existed in tourist areas such as Nairobi and coastal tourist areas

Kiribati Legal however, procuring sex and managing brothels are illegal. The lack of a law against prostitution hindered the ability of the police to restrict these activities

Korea, North Illegal

Korea, South Illegal

Kuwait Illegal

Kyrgyzstan Legal although the operation of brothels, pimping, and recruiting persons into prostitution are illegal, with penalties of up to five years imprisonment

Laos Illegal However, in practice antiprostitution laws generally were not enforced, and in some cases officials reportedly were involved in the trade

Latvia Legal Requires monthly health check.

Lebanon Legal requires brothels be licensed, including regular testing for disease

Lesotho No laws It was known to occur in urban areas, but its pervasiveness was unclear.

Liberia Illegal it was widespread

Libya Illegal but there were reports that it existed in major cities

Liechtenstein Illegal however, police tolerated it in the country's few nightclubs as long as it did not cause public offense

Lithuania Illegal but remained a problem.

Luxembourg Legal

Macau Legal Nevertheless, the SAR had a large sex trade, including brothels, most of which were believed to be controlled by Chinese organized crime groups, and many of those exploited by the trade were women

Macedonia [FYROM] Illegal however, authorities did not always enforce the law.

Madagascar Legal Prostitution was pervasive and particularly visible in areas frequented by tourists

Malawi Legal prevalent around hotels and bars in urban and tourist areas

Malaysia restricted public solicitation for prostitution is illegal

Maldives Illegal but occurred on a small scale

Mali Legal was common in cities.

Malta Illegal

Marshall Islands Illegal but reportedly occurred at low levels on the Majuro and Kwajalein atolls

Mauritania Illegal

Mauritius Illegal however, it was prevalent.

Mexico Legal While pimping and prostitution of minors under age 18 are illegal

Micronesia, Federated States of Illegal illegal and was uncommon, although the police alleged that a small number of prostitutes were available to fishermen temporarily docked in Pohnpei

Moldova Illegal Prostitution is punishable by a fine or administrative arrest. Pimping is a crime with penalties ranging from two to seven years in prison. Advertising prostitution in the media is punished with a fine.

Monaco Illegal overt prostitution is uncommon, although it exists in a well-hidden form

Mongolia Illegal Women's activists claimed that in Ulaanbaatar there were hundreds of brothels posing as saunas, massage parlors, and hotels. Some were occasionally raided by police. Nevertheless, the overall infrequency of raids allowed brothels to operate de facto

Montenegro Illegal Prostitution and offering sexual services are crimes, but using the services of a prostituted person is not a criminal offense. Prostitution existed but was not widespread

Morocco Illegal Closely linked to tourism and urban migration, it was a growing but not yet pervasive problem. Authorities did not effectively enforce the law

Mozambique No laws although it is governed by several laws against indecency and immoral behavior and restricted to certain areas

Burma Illegal punishable by up to five years in prison.

Namibia Legal There were continued reports that police officers threatened to arrest prostitutes who did not agree to give them free sex.

Nauru Illegal

Nepal restricted Forced prostitution is illegal, but there are no laws banning prostitution by choice

Netherlands Legal legal for persons age 18 or older who engage in the practice voluntarily. In Aruba prostitution was not a criminal offense but soliciting in public places was prohibited.

Netherlands Antilles Legal legal for persons age 18 or older who engage in the practice voluntarily.

New Zealand Decriminalised According to Prostitution Reform Act 2003 No 28, Public Act, prostitution has been decriminalized. The purpose of this Act is to decriminalise prostitution (while not endorsing or morally sanctioning prostitution or its use) and to create a framework. It is legal for citizens over 18 years old.

Nicaragua Legal which is legal for persons 14 years of age and older, was common, although the law prohibits its promotion

Niger Illegal Prostitution is illegal but remained prevalent in big cities and near major mining and military sites.

Nigeria Illegal Prostitution remained pervasive, particularly in urban areas. Statutes at both the federal and state levels criminalize prostitution. All states that adopted Sharia had criminalized prostitution but enforced such prohibitions with varying success. The police frequently used the antiprostitution statutes as tools for harassment, arresting prostitutes and holding them until they paid bribes but rarely prosecuting the cases in court.

Norway restricted It is illegal for citizens to purchase, but not to sell, sexual services. The prohibition applies to citizens regardless of where in the world the purchase takes place.

Oman Illegal Observers reported, however, despite strict cultural norms and immigration controls, women from Eastern Europe, South Asia, North Africa, and China engaged in prostitution.

Pakistan Illegal Police generally ignored the activity if they received bribes. Police raided brothels during the year but many continued to operate underground, particularly in larger cities.

Palau Illegal

Panama Legal prostitutes required to register and carry identification cards; however, the majority of prostitutes were not registered.

Papua New Guinea Illegal however, the laws were not enforced, and the practice was widespread.

Paraguay Legal Prostitution is legal for persons over the age of 18, but exploitation and trafficking of women, particularly underage prostitutes, remained serious problems.

Peru Legal legal for women over 18 years of age if they register with municipal authorities and carry a health certificate.

Philippines Illegal Prostitution is illegal but was a widespread problem.

Poland Legal but pimping, forced prostitution, and prostitution of minors are prohibited.

Portugal Legal

Qatar Illegal

Romania Illegal The law does not provide punishment for clients of prostitutes unless the prostitute was a minor and the client admitted knowing that fact before the act.

Russia Illegal The organization and operation of a prostitution business is a crime, while selling sexual services is a lesser administrative offense.

Rwanda Illegal

Saint Lucia Illegal but laws against it were rarely enforced. Some underground strip clubs were fronts for prostitution and reportedly were owned and/or protected by corrupt police officers.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Illegal

Samoa Illegal it existed but was not widespread.

San Marino Illegal

Sao Tome and Principe Illegal

Saudi Arabia Illegal

Senegal Legal Although soliciting customers is illegal, prostitution is legal if individuals are at least 21 years of age, register with the police, carry a valid sanitary card, and test negative for sexually transmitted infections.

Serbia Illegal although being a client of a prostitute is not a criminal offense.

Seychelles Illegal

Sierra Leone Legal however, prostitutes occasionally were arrested and charged with loitering or vagrancy.

Singapore Legal Legal red-light districts, mandatory health checks, and must be 18 years or older.

Slovakia Legal Prostitution is legal, but related activities, such as operating brothels, knowingly spreading sexually transmitted diseases, or trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation, are prohibited. There were no reliable data on the extent of prostitution.

Slovenia Illegal Prostitution is decriminalized but can be considered as a misdemeanor if its performance violates the Regulation on Public Order.

Solomon Islands Illegal but the statutes were not enforced.

Somalia Illegal

South Africa Illegal Prostitution is illegal but was widespread and practiced openly.

Spain Legal but forcing others into prostitution and organizing prostitution rings are crimes; it is illegal to profit from the prostitution of another person

Sri Lanka Illegal

Sudan Illegal Prostitution is illegal but widespread throughout the country.

Suriname Illegal

Swaziland Illegal Enforcement of laws against prostitution was inconsistent, particularly near industrial sites and military bases.

Sweden restricted Selling sexual services is legal, but the purchase of sexual services and procurement are illegal. In recent years, the government has sought to curb prostitution by focusing on the demand rather than the supply and by arresting clients rather than prostitutes.

Switzerland Legal however, street prostitution is illegal except in specially designated areas in the major cities.

Syria Illegal but it was not strictly enforced

Tajikistan Illegal although in practice prostitutes who were arrested were assessed a nominal fine and released

Tanzania Illegal however, prostitution remained common. Prostituted women were occasionally arrested

Thailand Illegal although it was practiced openly throughout the country. Local officials with commercial interests in prostitution often protected the practice.

Timor-Leste Legal

Tonga Legal but activities such as soliciting in a public place, procuring, operating a brothel, and trading in women are criminal offenses.

Trinidad and Tobago Illegal

Tunisia Illegal However, there were government-sanctioned brothels in which the workers reportedly had regular medical exams. There were no penalties for visiting these brothels.

Turkey Legal Women need to be registered and acquire an ID card stating the dates of their health checks. It is mandatory for registered prostitutes to undergo regular health checks for sexually transmitted diseases.

Turkmenistan Illegal but remained a problem throughout the country. Authorities actively monitored prostitution and attempted to counter it.

Tuvalu Illegal

Uganda Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common.

Ukraine Illegal Prostitution is not a criminal offense, although it can be punished as an administrative offense with a fine up to 255 hryvnia (approximately $32). However, pimping and the organization and operation of a prostitution business is a crime that carries a term of three to 15 years imprisonment.

United Arab Emirates Illegal however, it has become an increasing problem in recent years, particularly in Dubai. Although prostitution was widely acknowledged to exist, the government did not publicly address the issue. During the year the media reported several arrests for prostitution, trafficking, and operating a brothel.

United Kingdom Legal Prostitution is technically legal in the United Kingdom, but several associated activities are outlawed that make it difficult to work legally. It is illegal to solicit or advertise or own a brothel. It is also illegal for prospective clients to 'kerb-crawl'.

United States Illegal except for 11 rural counties in Nevada, where registration and health checks are required

Uruguay Legal legal for persons over the age of 18 and was practiced openly in major cities and tourist resorts. Prostitutes would be obligated to obtain an identification card from a registry which would be established within the National Police. They would also be required to submit to periodic medical examinations and to work only within designated commercial establishments and zones

Uzbekistan Illegal however, it remained a problem. Police enforced the laws against prostitution unevenly; some police officers harassed and threatened prostitutes with prosecution to extort money.

Vanuatu Illegal

Venezuela Legal

Vietnam Illegal

Yemen Illegal but it was a problem, particularly in Aden and Sana'a. Many prostitutes were third-country nationals who had traveled to the country looking for employment as domestic workers. There were reports that underage citizen girls worked as prostitutes in major cities.

Zambia Legal Although prostitution is not illegal, the penal code criminalizes certain conduct associated with prostitution.

Zimbabwe Illegal Police often tolerated prostitution at nightclubs, truck stops, and bars in urban areas. Clients were rarely arrested.