Is prostitution legal in Eritrea?

Legal & regulated

Prostitution is legal and regulated, with restrictions near schools and hospitals, and arrests for foreign encounters.

Eritrea 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

Djibouti
Illegal Prostitution is illegal but tolerated, with a red-light district and foreign military presence increasing demand.
Ethiopia
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but procuring and brothel operations are illegal, with significant sex tourism and child exploitation issues.
Yemen
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Yemen with three-year imprisonment, though it occurs in hotels and among women from Yaffai.
Sudan
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Sudan but widespread, with significant sex trafficking.
Saudi Arabia
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Saudi Arabia with punishments including prison, flogging, and deportation, with death penalty possible for adultery.
Somalia
Illegal Prostitution is illegal, though sex trafficking and child prostitution are problems.

Other laws in Eritrea

Same-Sex Activity
Illegal
Age of Consent
18+
Pornography
Illegal
Divorce
Heavily restricted
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Eritrea → · 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.