Asia · 32 countries covered
Prostitution laws in Asia
- Decriminalisation 4
- Regulation (legal & licensed) 12
- Legal, organisation banned 99
- Buying criminalised (Nordic model) 12
- Selling and buying prohibited 69
- Not covered yet
- Legal 45
- Legal under licence / registration 9
- Legal with restrictions 73
- Illegal 64
- Varies by region 5
- Not covered yet
- Legal under licence / registration 12
- Legal with restrictions 11
- Illegal 170
- Varies by region 3
- Not covered yet
- Legal 7
- Legal with restrictions 104
- Illegal 81
- Varies by region 4
- Not covered yet
Selling sexual services, for an adult acting consensually.Brothels and managed venues, for an adult acting consensually.Advertising sexual services, for an adult acting consensually.
By legal model
No prostitution-specific criminal law. Sex work is regulated like other work.
None covered here
Selling sex and running venues are legal under a licensing or registration regime.
None covered here
Selling and buying are legal, but brothels, procuring and organising are criminal offences.
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste
Buying sex is an offence; selling it is not (the "Nordic" or "Equality" model).
Selling sex is an offence (criminal or administrative), whether or not buying is.
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
Read this first
A country's model is a simplification. States, cities and regions add their own rules, and enforcement matters as much as the statute. Each profile spells out the detail and how we classify.
All countries in Asia
| Country | Model | Profile | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Bangladesh | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Bhutan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Brunei | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Cambodia | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| China | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Hong Kong | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| India | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Indonesia | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Japan | Legal, organisation banned | Full profile | 30 October 2026 |
| Kazakhstan | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Kyrgyzstan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Laos | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Macau | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Malaysia | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Maldives | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Mongolia | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Myanmar | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Nepal | Buying criminalised (Nordic model) | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| North Korea | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Pakistan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Philippines | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Singapore | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| South Korea | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Sri Lanka | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Taiwan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Tajikistan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Thailand | Selling and buying prohibited | Full profile | 30 October 2026 |
| Timor-Leste | Legal, organisation banned | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Turkmenistan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Uzbekistan | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |
| Vietnam | Selling and buying prohibited | Overview | 30 October 2026 |