Is prostitution legal in Denmark?

Decriminalized / unregulated

Prostitution was partly decriminalized in 1999, with third-party activities like brothel administration remaining illegal.

Denmark is one of 28 countries classified “Decriminalized / unregulated” for sex work — 13% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)

Source

Taken from
Wikipedia: Prostitution in Europe
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

Netherlands
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated, with new laws punishing customers who know or suspect coercion or trafficking.
Germany
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in Germany, including brothels and sex work services.
Belgium
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution was decriminalized in Belgium on 1 June 2022, but pimping is prohibited.
Luxembourg
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is legal but regulated, with specific areas and times allowed for street work, and related activities like brothel-keeping are illegal.
Sweden
Buying illegal (Nordic model) Sweden criminalizes paying for sex but not selling, implementing the Nordic model in 1999.
Poland
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Poland, though operating brothels or pimping is prohibited.

Other laws in Denmark

Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage legal
Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
14–15
Pornography
Legal
Divorce
Legal
Non-Binary Recognition
Limited recognition
Same-Sex Adoption
Joint adoption legal
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Denmark → · 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.