Is prostitution legal in Bangladesh?
Legal & regulated
Prostitution is legal and regulated with registration required, and brothel villages exist.
Bangladesh is one of 73 countries classified “Legal & regulated” for sex work — 33% 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
- Bhutan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but practiced openly in border towns and Thimphu.
- India
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal except in private residences, with many brothels operating illegally.
- Myanmar
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Myanmar, with significant trafficking affecting women and children both domestically and internationally.
- Nepal
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Nepal under the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2064, criminalizing it as part of human trafficking.
- Laos
- Illegal Prostitution in Laos is illegal and subject to severe prosecution, though it occurs mainly in urban bars and clubs.
- Thailand
- Decriminalized / unregulated Sexual services exchange is legal in Thailand, but activities like solicitation and pimping are illegal, with no nationwide prohibition on prostitution.
Other laws in Bangladesh
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Illegal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Pornography
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- 18+
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.