Is prostitution legal in Benin?

Legal & regulated

Prostitution is legal but related activities like brothel keeping and benefiting from prostitution are illegal.

Benin 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 Africa
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

Togo
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but related activities like solicitation and procuring are prohibited with up to 10 years imprisonment.
Ghana
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Ghana but widespread, with no effective enforcement.
Burkina Faso
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is not specifically prohibited, but soliciting and pimping are illegal.
Nigeria
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Northern Nigerian states under Islamic law, while in South it's regulated through pimping laws.
Niger
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Niger but common in cities and near military bases.
Côte d'Ivoire
Legal & regulated Prostitution itself is legal but associated activities like soliciting and running brothels are illegal.

Other laws in Benin

Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
16–17
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Benin → · Where is sex work legal? →

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.