Is prostitution legal in India?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal except in private residences, with many brothels operating illegally.
India is one of 105 countries classified “Illegal” for sex work — 48% 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
- Nepal
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Nepal under the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2064, criminalizing it as part of human trafficking.
- Bangladesh
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated with registration required, and brothel villages exist.
- Bhutan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but practiced openly in border towns and Thimphu.
- Myanmar
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Myanmar, with significant trafficking affecting women and children both domestically and internationally.
- Pakistan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Pakistan, with some regions imposing severe penalties including death, though it is practiced underground.
- Sri Lanka
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Sri Lanka, with related activities like soliciting and brothels also outlawed.
Other laws in India
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Pornography
- Illegal
- Divorce
- Heavily restricted
- Non-Binary Recognition
- Limited recognition
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Limited (step-child / single)
- Incest Laws
- Legal between adults
- 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.