Is prostitution legal in Nigeria?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal in Northern Nigerian states under Islamic law, while in South it's regulated through pimping laws.
Nigeria 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 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
- Cameroon
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal but tolerated in Cameroon.
- Niger
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Niger but common in cities and near military bases.
- Benin
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but related activities like brothel keeping and benefiting from prostitution are illegal.
- Togo
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but related activities like solicitation and procuring are prohibited with up to 10 years imprisonment.
- Equatorial Guinea
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal, with sex trafficking and foreign involvement noted as problems.
- Ghana
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Ghana but widespread, with no effective enforcement.
Other laws in Nigeria
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Death penalty possible
- Divorce
- Heavily restricted
- 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.