Is prostitution legal in Afghanistan?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal with 5-15 year imprisonment, though practiced in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Afghanistan is one of 105 countries classified “Illegal” for sex work — 48% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Prostitution in Asia
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Pakistan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Pakistan, with some regions imposing severe penalties including death, though it is practiced underground.
- Tajikistan
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but related activities like soliciting and brothel keeping are prohibited, with penalties including imprisonment.
- Uzbekistan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common, especially in major cities, with inconsistent law enforcement and some police harassment.
- Kyrgyzstan
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal since 1998, but brothels, pimping, and recruiting are illegal with penalties up to five years.
- Turkmenistan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common, with poverty and family pressure driving women into the trade.
- Iran
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Iran with punishments ranging from fines to execution, and visible street prostitution in major cities.
Other laws in Afghanistan
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Death penalty possible
- Age of Consent
- Must be married
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- Under 16 possible
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.