100 Countries and Their Prostitution Policies
This page details 100 countries’ policies on prostitution, brothel ownership, and pimping. These countries were chosen in order to be inclusive of major religions, geographical regions, and policies towards prostitution. Taiwan and Scotland were included in the country listings for China and the United Kingdom, respectively, in accordance with the country listings and population estimates provided in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook.
Whenever possible, we have included government documents regarding prostitution such as laws, court decisions, employment information, etc. under the name of the country. While reasonable efforts have been made to assure the accuracy of the data provided, do not rely on this information without first checking an official edition of the applicable law. This page was last updated Nov. 4, 2009.
Legal in 50 (50%); Limited Legality in 11 (11%); Illegal in 39 (39%); Total: 100 (100%) [of the countries surveyed]
In some sex tourist destinations (Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines) prostitution is totally illegal. Amazingly, Germany is one of the most liberal countries. Brothels are legal, prostitution is legal, pimping is legal.
Germany
Prostitution: Legal
Legalized in 1927.[Editor’s Note: The date of the legalization of prostitution in Germany is disputed. Some consider prostitution to have been legalized or decriminalized since the passage of the 1927 Law for Combating Venereal Diseases. However, others consider prostitution was legalized through the Prostitution Act of January 2002 that improved the social welfare and legal rights of prostitutes. Although prostitution is legal under the German Constitution, prior to the 2002 Prostitution Act, a series of regulatory laws and court rulings had restricted the legal and social welfare rights of prostitutes because prostitution was considered in violation of Germany’s moral code.]
Brothel Ownership: Legal
Pimping: Legal
Exploitative behavior considered criminal.
"An estimated 400,000 prostitutes work in Germany, and 1.2 million customers are said to use their services daily. Revenues are estimated at 6 billion euros every year – equivalent to those of companies like Porsche and Adidas.
Switzerland
It is interesting how two of the most organized countries in the world have legal prostitution, instead of the morass of prohibition and illegality.