Is prostitution legal in the Cook Islands?

Legal & regulated

Prostitution is legal in the Cook Islands but related activities like procuring and brothel keeping are illegal.

The Cook Islands 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 Oceania
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

Niue
Illegal Being a prostitute or keeper of a brothel is illegal in Niue.
French Polynesia
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is legal in French Polynesia but brothels are not, with no regulation of sex work itself.
American Samoa
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in American Samoa, including related activities like brothel keeping.
Samoa
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Samoa under the Crimes Act 2013, with penalties including imprisonment.
Tonga
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Tonga, though related activities like soliciting and brothel keeping are forbidden.
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Wallis and Futuna under French law, including prohibition of purchasing sex, solicitation, procuring, and brothels.

Other laws in Cook Islands

Same-Sex Activity
Legal

Every law in the Cook Islands → · 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.