Is prostitution legal in Syria?

Illegal

Prostitution is technically illegal in Syria but occurs among Syrian women and Iraqi refugees due to war conditions.

Syria 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

Lebanon
Illegal Prostitution is nominally legal but most brothels operate illegally due to lack of new licenses being issued.
Turkey
Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal and regulated in Turkey, but most sex workers are unregistered.
Cyprus
Illegal Prostitution itself is not illegal in Cyprus, but related activities like brothel operation and forced prostitution are criminalized.
Israel
Buying illegal (Nordic model) Prostitution is legal in Israel but buying sex is criminalized, with new legislation targeting clients taking effect in 2020.
Jordan
Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is illegal but widely tolerated and occurs in major cities and refugee camps.
Iraq
Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Iraq with criminal penalties for pimp, prostitute, and client, exacerbated by war-related exploitation.

Other laws in Syria

Same-Sex Marriage
Not recognized
Same-Sex Activity
Illegal
Age of Consent
14–15
Same-Sex Adoption
Not permitted
Incest Laws
Criminal offense
Marriage Age
18+

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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.