Where in the World Is Full-Service Sex Work Legal?

In certain corners of the world FSSWers are forced to operate in the shadows, walking the line between doing their jobs and bearing the brunt of punitive measures for it. In a surprising amount of places — especially to someone coming from the puritanical U.S. — laws banning sex work have been changed to reflect shifting public perception about the importance and permanence of the SW industry.

By our estimation the number of countries and territories that have in at least in one form or another legalized FSSW is 132. Some of these countries, like Cuba, had never banned the practice. Others, including the United States and Colombia, have created specific “tolerance zones” where FSSW is legal while maintaining strict anti-sex works laws outside of those districts. Some places, including Germany, Tunisia and Switzerland, have systems where SW activity is overseen by regulatory bodies. And a surprising amount of countries have shifted towards full legalization of FSSW across their lands, adding up to a marked number of at least seemingly SW-tolerant locales. 

Groups like Amnesty International support decriminalization, though theirs are not by any means guidelines that everyone seems happy with. Regardless, many countries are taking a more realistic approach to SW and countering moral panic with reality. The laws governing FSSW in these places vary wildly in effectiveness and restrictiveness, but to some degree or another these locales seem to at least be giving legal SW a shot:

Regulated FSSW Markets

1. Eritrea
2. Tunisia
3. Senegal
4. Bolivia
5. Chile
6. Dutch Caribbean
7. Ecuador
8. Turkey
9. Hungary
10. Latvia
11. Austria
12. Germany
13. The Netherlands
14. Switzerland
15. Australia
16. Norfolk Island
17. Easter Island

FSSW Limited to Specific Locations

1. Kenya
2. Nigeria
3. Argentina
4. Colombia (regulated)
5. United States
6. Mexico
7. Taiwan
8. Indonesia

No Laws on the Books About FSSW

1. Cape Verde
2. Guinea-Bissau
3. Pitcairn Islands
4. Tokelau
5. Tuvalu

Legal FSSW Markets

1. Central African Republic
2. Democratic Republic of the Congo
3. Ethiopia
4. Madagascar
5. Malawi
6. Mauritius
7. Mozambique
8. Reunion
9. South Sudan
10. Zambia
11. Algeria
12. Botswana
13. Lesotho
14. Namibia
15. Benin
16. Burkina Faso
17. Ivory Coast
18. Mali
19. Sierra Leone
20. Togo
21. Antigua and Barbuda
22. Bahamas
23. Barbados
24. Belize
25. Brazil
26. Costa Rica
27. Cuba Dominica
28. Dominican Republic
29. El Salvador
30. Guadeloupe
31. Honduras
32. Nicaragua
33. Panama
34. Paraguay
35. Peru
36. Trinidad and Tobago
37. Uruguay
38. Venezuela
39. Bermuda
40. Canada
41. Guatemala
42. Falkland Islands
43. Paraguay
44. Anguilla
45. British Virgin Islands
46. Cayman Islands
47. Cuba 
48. Dominica
49. Martinique
50. Montserrat
51. Kyrgystan
52. Tajikistan
53. Hong Kong
54. Macau
55. Bangladesh
56. India
57. Malaysia
58. Singapore
59. East Timor
60. Cyprus
61. Israel
62. Lebanon
63. Bulgaria
64. Czech Republic
65. Kazakhstan
66. Poland
67. Romania
68. Slovakia
69. Denmark
70. Estonia
71. Finland
72. Iceland
73. Ireland
74. Norway
75. Sweden
76. The U.K.
77. Bosnia and Herzegovina
78. Greece
79. Italy
80. Malta
81. Portugal
82. Macedonia
83. Slovenia
84. Spain
85. Beligum
86. France
87. Luxembourg
88. Monaco
89. New Zealand
90. Fiji
91. New Caledonia
92. Solomon Islands
93. Federated States of Micronesia
94. Kiribati
95. Nauru
96. Cook Islands
97. French Polynesia
98. Niue
99. Tonga
100. Wallis and Futuna