Is prostitution legal in Papua New Guinea?
Illegal
Prostitution is generally illegal but rarely enforced, with laws criminalizing brothel keeping and living off earnings.
Papua New Guinea 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
- Solomon Islands
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal but soliciting and brothel keeping are prohibited, with laws rarely enforced.
- Micronesia
- Varies by region Prostitution is legal in Yap and Kosrae but illegal in Chuuk and Pohnpei.
- Palau
- Illegal Prostitution and related activities are illegal in Palau under the Anti-Prostitution Act.
- Timor-Leste
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Timor-Leste, though soliciting and third-party involvement for profit is forbidden with weak law enforcement.
- Australia
- Varies by region Prostitution laws vary by state and territory, with some jurisdictions legalizing and regulating sex work while others prohibit related activities.
- Guam
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Guam but practised covertly, especially in massage parlours.
Other laws in Papua New Guinea
- Same-Sex Activity
- Illegal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Marriage Age
- 18+
Every law in Papua New Guinea → · 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.