Is prostitution legal in Malta?

Legal & regulated

Prostitution is legal in Malta, but running brothels and loitering are illegal with penalties up to two years.

Malta 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 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

Tunisia
Illegal Prostitution was legal in Tunisia until 2022 when it was banned by government.
Vatican City
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Vatican City and not commonplace.
Albania
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Albania but widespread, with street prostitution and brothels present.
Italy
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Italy, but organized prostitution and brothel operations are prohibited, with individual sex workers tolerated.
Libya
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Libya but common, with Sharia penalties for offenders.
Montenegro
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Montenegro, with the country being a source and transit point for sex trafficking.

Other laws in Malta

Same-Sex Marriage
Marriage legal
Same-Sex Activity
Legal
Age of Consent
16–17
Divorce
Heavily restricted
Non-Binary Recognition
Recognized
Same-Sex Adoption
Joint adoption legal
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Malta → · 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.