Is prostitution legal in Pakistan?

Illegal

Prostitution is illegal in Pakistan, with some regions imposing severe penalties including death, though it is practiced underground.

Pakistan 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

Afghanistan
Illegal Prostitution is illegal with 5-15 year imprisonment, though practiced in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif.
Tajikistan
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but related activities like soliciting and brothel keeping are prohibited, with penalties including imprisonment.
Uzbekistan
Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common, especially in major cities, with inconsistent law enforcement and some police harassment.
Kyrgyzstan
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal since 1998, but brothels, pimping, and recruiting are illegal with penalties up to five years.
Turkmenistan
Illegal Prostitution is illegal but common, with poverty and family pressure driving women into the trade.
Nepal
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Nepal under the Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act, 2064, criminalizing it as part of human trafficking.

Other laws in Pakistan

Same-Sex Marriage
Not recognized
Same-Sex Activity
Illegal
Age of Consent
18+
Divorce
Legal
Non-Binary Recognition
Limited recognition
Same-Sex Adoption
Not permitted
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

Every law in Pakistan → · 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.