Is prostitution legal in Iran?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal in Iran with punishments ranging from fines to execution, and visible street prostitution in major cities.
Iran 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
- Kuwait
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Kuwait but common, with law enforcement typically deporting or issuing conduct pledges to sex workers.
- Turkmenistan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common, with poverty and family pressure driving women into the trade.
- Iraq
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Iraq with criminal penalties for pimp, prostitute, and client, exacerbated by war-related exploitation.
- Bahrain
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Bahrain but has become a major sex tourism destination with reported high numbers of prostitutes.
- Azerbaijan
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Azerbaijan but common, with brothel-keeping punishable by up to 6 years imprisonment.
- Qatar
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Qatar with severe prison sentences and deportation of sex workers.
Other laws in Iran
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Death penalty possible
- Age of Consent
- 14–15
- Pornography
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- 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.