Is prostitution legal in Palau?
Illegal
Prostitution and related activities are illegal in Palau under the Anti-Prostitution Act.
Palau 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 Oceania
- 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
- Guam
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Guam but practised covertly, especially in massage parlours.
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in the Northern Mariana Islands but widely practised.
- Philippines
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in the Philippines with penalties up to life imprisonment for trafficking, though enforcement is rare.
- Timor-Leste
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Timor-Leste, though soliciting and third-party involvement for profit is forbidden with weak law enforcement.
- Papua New Guinea
- Illegal Prostitution is generally illegal but rarely enforced, with laws criminalizing brothel keeping and living off earnings.
- Brunei
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Brunei, punishable by imprisonment and fines, with notable scandals involving foreign nationals.
Other laws in Palau
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- 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.