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Prostitution statistics by country

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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}

{{For|discussion of prostitution in specific countries or other areas|Prostitution by region}}

In 2012 it was estimated that there were between 40 and 42 million prostitutes in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/there-are-42-million-prostitutes-in-the-world-and-heres-where-they-live-2012-1|title=There Are 42 Million Prostitutes In The World, And Here's Where They Live|author=Gus Lubin|date=17 January 2012|website=Business Insider|access-date=9 June 2018}} The list of countries below provides an estimate for the number of people working as prostitutes in each country. China, India, and the United States are the countries with the most prostitutes.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

{{Portal|Prostitution|Sex work}}

Methodology

There are a number of difficulties involved in collecting meaningful prostitution statistics. For example, the greater visibility of some forms of prostitution, such as street prostitution, makes statistics on these forms easier to collect. However, in some countries street prostitution forms a much smaller part of the sex industry than indoor prostitution. Similarly sex workers with health, addiction and other support needs are more likely to be known to the authorities and hence easier for researchers to contact, but may not be representative of prostitution as a whole. National Ugly Mugs, a support organisation for sex workers in the United Kingdom, has identified several factors making it difficult to collect statistics for the sex industry, including low response rates, the small scale of research compared to the size of the sex industry, and the diversity of the industry. As a result published statistics are often conflicting and contested.{{cite report|title=Prostitution: Third Report of Session 2016–17|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/26/26.pdf|publisher=House of Commons|author=Home Affairs Committee|date=15 June 2016|pages=8–9}}

In countries where prostitution is illegal, the use of arrest data to create general prostitution statistics can be misleading. The majority of prostitutes are never arrested, and those who are, can often be charged with other offences instead. Class bias may be introduced into the statistics as a result of police officers being more likely to arrest street prostitutes than high-class call girls. In comparing one area with another there may be differences in the definition of a crime, the police enforcement rate, and the possibility of the inflation of arrest figures or the under-reporting of crime.{{cite book|title=The Prostitution of Women and Girls|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FSNB0G7f4CsC|first=Ronald B.|last=Flowers|publisher=McFarland|year=1998|isbn=9780786404902|page=15}}

Due to the unregulated and often illegal nature of the work, only estimates are available for the number of prostitutes in a country. The numbers for a country can vary considerably dependent on the source. Some countries' numbers may suffer from poor methodology. In other cases, results may be influenced by whether the organisation producing the numbers is for or against the nature of the work. Where available, figures are taken from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 2016 "Sex Workers: Size Estimates."

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"

|+ Numbers of prostitutes

style="width:120px;"| Countrydata-sort-type="number"|Number of prostitutes
Source: UNAIDS 2016 - 2018
Sex Workers: Size Estimates{{cite web |title=Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016 - 2018 |url=http://kpatlas.unaids.org/dashboard |website=www.kpatlas.unaids.org |publisher=UNAIDS |access-date=2 January 2020}}{{cite web |title=Sex workers: Population size estimate - Number, 2016 |url=http://www.aidsinfoonline.org/gam/stock/shared/dv/PivotData_2018_7_22_636678151733621264.htm |website=www.aidsinfoonline.org |publisher=UNAIDS |access-date=22 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604174922/http://www.aidsinfoonline.org/gam/stock/shared/dv/PivotData_2018_7_22_636678151733621264.htm |archive-date=4 June 2019 |url-status=dead }}		data-sort-type="number"|Number of prostitutes
Other sources and year		data-sort-type="number"|Population{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DVD/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2017_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx|title=Total Population - Both Sexes|website=World Population Prospects, the 2017 Revision|publisher=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, Population Estimates and Projections Section|date=June 2017|access-date=22 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730155936/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DVD/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2017_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx|archive-date=30 July 2017|url-status=dead}}data-sort-type="number"|Prevalence
(prostitutes per
10,000 population)
Afghanistan12,500 (2016) 34,656,0324
AlbaniaNo data

| 5,000 - 30,000 (2006){{cite web|title=Sex Work in Albania – an Overview|url=http://swannet.org/node/1041|website=SWAN|access-date=10 February 2018|language=en}}

2,926,34817 - 103
AlgeriaNo data

|

40,606,052-
Angola54,000 (2017) 28,813,46319
Antigua and BarbudaNo data

| 800 (2014)

100,96379
Argentina74,900 (2014)

|

43,847,43017
Armenia9,000 (2018) 2,924,81630
Australia20,500 (2012) 20,000 (2017) {{cite web|title=The Australian sex industry|url=https://aic.gov.au/publications/rpp/rpp131/australian-sex-industry|website=Australian Institute of Criminology|access-date=8 April 2020|date=November 2017}}24,125,8488
Austria No data

| 30,000 (2013){{cite web|title=Austria: Discriminations against Sex Workers in the Rights to Work and to Health|url=http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CESCR/Shared%20Documents/AUT/INT_CESCR_NGO_AUT_14625_E.docx|website=Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights|access-date=10 February 2018|date=November 2013}}

8,712,13734
Azerbaijan13,800 (2018) 9,725,37614
Bahamas3,035 (2016) 391,23278
BahrainNo data

| 13,500 (2007){{cite book|last1=Shaw|first1=Susan M.|last2=Barbour|first2=Nancy Staton|last3=Duncan|first3=Patti|last4=Freehling-Burton|first4=Kryn|last5=Nichols|first5=Jane|title=Women's Lives around the World: A Global Encyclopedia|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1610697118|page=26|date=December 2017}}

1,425,17195
Bangladesh140,000 (2015) 162,951,5601
Belarus22,000 (2016) 9,480,04223
BelgiumNo data

| 26,000 (2015){{cite web|last1=Vlassenbroeck|first1=Julien|title=Plus de 20 000 prostituées soumises à l'exploitation en Belgique|url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/detail_plus-de-20-000-prostituees-soumises-a-l-exploitation-en-belgique?id=8983180|website=RTBF Info|access-date=13 March 2018|language=fr-FR|date=18 May 2015}}

11,358,37923
Benin28,800 (2017) 10,872,29826
Bhutan400 - 500 (2017){{cite web|last1=Pem|first1=Damchoe|title=400 to 500 possible sex workers in Bhutan - The Bhutanese|url=http://thebhutanese.bt/400-to-500-possible-sex-workers-in-bhutan/|website=The Bhutanese|access-date=10 February 2018|date=29 July 2017}}797,7655 - 6
Bolivia31,000 (2016) 10,887,88229
Bosnia and Herzegovina4,000 (2016) 3,516,81611
Botswana4,200 (2016) 2,250,26019
Brazil1,400,000 (2013) 207,652,86526
Bulgaria10,000 (2016) 7,131,49414
Burkina Faso31,000 (2016) 18,646,43317
Burundi51,000 (2016) 10,524,11749
Cambodia34,000 (2016) 15,762,37022
Cameroon70,500 (2018) 23,439,18947
CanadaNo data

|

36,289,822-
Cape Verde1,400 (2016) 539,56026
Central African Republic782 (2016) 4,594,6212
Chad1,200 (2016) 14,452,5431
ChileNo data

| 4,980 (2014){{Cite web |title=Ley de regulación al comercio sexual en Chile |url=https://www.bcn.cl/delibera/show_iniciativa?id_colegio=880&idnac=2&patro=0&nro_torneo=2014 |access-date=2022-11-16 |website=www.bcn.cl |language=es-CL}}

17,909,7542 - 3
ChinaNo data

| 2,800,000 - 4,500,000 (2010){{cite web|title=Sex Work & HIV - China|url=http://www.aidsdatahub.org/sites/default/files/documents/sex_work_hiv_china.pdf|website=Aids Data Hub.|access-date=10 February 2018|date=August 2010}}

1,403,500,36514 - 32
Colombia244,400 (2013) 48,653,4192
Comoros200 (2016) 795,6013
Congo9,700 (2017)

|

5,125,821-
Costa Rica3,000 (2017)

| 15,000 (unknown)

4,857,27431
CroatiaNo data

| 21,066 (2006){{cite journal|last1=Vandepitte|first1=J|last2=Lyerla|first2=R|last3=Dallabetta|first3=G|last4=Crabbé|first4=F|last5=Alary|first5=M|last6=Buvé|first6=A|title=Estimates of the number of female sex workers in different regions of the world|journal=Sexually Transmitted Infections|volume=82|issue=Suppl 3|pmc=2576726|pages=iii18–iii25|doi=10.1136/sti.2006.020081|pmid=16735288|date=2006}}

4,213,26550
Cuba82,500 (2017) 11,475,98278
CyprusNo data

|

1,170,125-
Czech Republic13,000 (2016) 10,610,94712
Democratic Republic of the Congo350,300 (2018) 78,736,15345
DenmarkNo data

| 6,000 (2009){{cite web|title=How many Prostitutes?|url=http://people.exeter.ac.uk/watupman/undergrad/aac/scale.htm|website=Exeter University|access-date=10 February 2018}}

5,711,87011
Djibouti2,900 (2016)942,33331
Dominican Republic97,800 (2015)

|

10,648,79156 - 94
East Timor1,700 (2016) 1,268,67113
Ecuador34,400 (2014) 16,385,06821
Egypt23,000 (2016) 95,688,6812
El Salvador20,000 (2016) 6,344,72232
Equatorial Guinea5,800 (2016) 1,221,49041
Eritrea1,600 (2016) 4,954,6453
Estonia1,000 (2016) 1,312,4427
Ethiopia85,000 (2016) 102,403,1962
Federated States of Micronesia290 (2016) 104,93729
Fiji900 (2014) 898,76010
FinlandNo data

| 4,000 (2009)

5,503,1327
FranceNo data

| 30,000 (2018){{cite web|title=France 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report|url=https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2018/282656.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728221406/https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2018/282656.htm|archive-date=28 July 2018|access-date=28 July 2018|website=U.S. Department of State}}

64,720,6905
Gabon368 (2016) 1,979,7862
Gambia3,100 (2016) 2,038,50115
Georgia6,500 (2016) 3,925,40517
GermanyNo data

| 300,000 (2009)

81,914,67237
Ghana52,000 (2016) 28,206,72818
GreeceNo data

| 10,500 –15,000 (2009)

11,183,7169 - 13
Guatemala83,000 (2019) 16,582,46916
Guinea8,400 (2016) 12,395,9247
Guinea-Bissau3,100 (2016) 1,815,69817
Guyana5,300 (2016) 773,30369
Haiti70,300 (2015) 10,847,33465
Honduras22,800 (2016)9,112,86725
HungaryNo data

| 20,000 - 25,000 (2006){{cite web|title=Report on the demand side of sexual services in Hungary|url=https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/sites/antitrafficking/files/report_on_the_demand_side_of_sexual_services_in_hungary_1.pdf|website=ICCR-Budapest Foundation.|access-date=10 February 2018|date=September 2006}}

9,753,28121 - 26
India657,800 (2016) 1,324,171,3545
Indonesia226,800 (2016) 261,115,4569
Iran90,000 (2015)

| 91,500 (2015){{cite journal|last1=Sharifi|first1=Hamid|last2=Karamouzian|first2=Mohammad|last3=Baneshi|first3=Mohammad Reza|last4=Shokoohi|first4=Mostafa|last5=Haghdoost|first5=AliAkbar|last6=McFarland|first6=Willi|last7=Mirzazadeh|first7=Ali|title=Population size estimation of female sex workers in Iran: Synthesis of methods and results|pmc=5552099|journal=PLOS ONE|volume=12|issue=8|pages=e0182755|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0182755|pmid=28796847|date=10 August 2017|bibcode=2017PLoSO..1282755S|doi-access=free}}

80,277,42811
IraqNo data

|

37,202,572-
Ireland1,000 (2016) 4,726,0782
IsraelNo data

| 12,000 (2015){{cite web|title=12,000 women work in prostitution in Israel, gov't says|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/12000-women-work-in-prostitution-in-israel-govt-says/|website=Times of Israel|access-date=10 February 2018|date=4 March 2016}}

8,191,82815
ItalyNo data

| 60,000 (2009)

59,429,93810
Ivory Coast10,900 (2016) 23,695,9194
Jamaica18,700 (2014)2,881,35566
JapanNo data

|

127,748,513-
JordanNo data

|

9,455,802-
Kazakhstan19,000 (2016) 17,987,73611
Kenya167,900 (2018) 48,461,56735
Kiribati114 (2016) 114,39510
KuwaitNo data

|

4,052,584-
Kyrgyzstan7,100 (2016) 5,955,73412
Laos13,000 (2016) 6,758,35319
LatviaNo data

| 29,558 (2006)

1,970,530150
Lebanon4,300 (2018) 6,006,6687
Lesotho7,500 (2018) 2,203,82129
Liberia163,100 (2017) 4,613,8232
LibyaNo data

|

6,293,253-
LithuaniaNo data

| 1,000 – 3,000 (unknown){{cite web|title=Lithuania|url=http://swannet.org/en/countries/lithuania|website=SWAN|access-date=10 February 2018|language=en}}

2,908,2493 - 10
LuxembourgNo data

| 300 (2009)

575,7475
Macedonia3,600 (2016) 2,081,20617
Madagascar191,200 (2018)24,894,55168
Malawi9,300 (2016) 18,091,5755
Malaysia21,000 (2016) 31,187,2657
MaldivesNo data

| 1,139 (2013){{cite web|title=National Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS|url=http://www.searo.who.int/maldives/mediacentre/hiv-adis-2014-2018.pdf?ua=1|publisher=Ministry of Health Republic of Maldives|access-date=10 February 2018|date=2013}}

427,75627
Mali36,000 (2016) 17,994,83720
Marshall Islands250 (2016) 53,06647
Mauritania315 (2016) 4,301,0181
Mauritius6,200 (2016) 1,262,13249
Mexico240,000 (2019) 127,540,42319
Moldova12,000 (2016) 4,059,60830
Mongolia1,300 (2016) 3,027,3984
Morocco72,000 (2017) 36,276,78621
Mozambique27,300 (2012) 28,829,4765
Myanmar66,000 (2016) 52,885,22313
Nepal67,000 (2016)28,982,77123
Namibia8,100 (2016) 2,479,71333
Netherlands25,000 (2011)16,987,33015
New Zealand3,500 (2018)

| 5,932 (2005){{cite web|title=The Nature and Extent of the Sex Industry in New Zealand: An Estimation|url=http://thehub.superu.govt.nz/sites/default/files/42816_nature-extent-sex-industry_0.pdf|publisher=Prostitution Law Review Committee|access-date=10 February 2018|date=April 2005}}

4,660,83313
Nicaragua14,800 (2017)6,149,92829
Niger47,000 (2016)20,672,98723
Nigeria410,000 (2019)

| 103,500 (2015)

185,989,6405
North KoreaNo data

| 25,000 (2014){{cite web|last1=Hyams|first1=James|title=Does North Korea have sex trade and drug problem?|url=http://www.koreaobserver.com/north-korea-sex-trade-and-drug-problem-26094/|website=The Korea Observer|access-date=10 February 2018|date=4 February 2015}}

25,368,62010
NorwayNo data

| 3,000 (2009)

5,254,6946
OmanNo data

|

4,424,762-
Pakistan228,800 (2016) 193,203,47612
PalestineNo data

|

4,790,705-
Panama8,300 (2018) 4,034,11913
Papua New GuineaNo data

|

8,084,991-
Paraguay3,400 (2016) 6,725,3085
Peru67,000 (2016) 31,773,83921
Philippines210,000 (2019) 103,320,22215
PolandNo data

| 19,000 (unknown)

38,224,4105
Portugal No data

| 28,000 (2005)João Saramago, [http://www.correiomanha.pt/noticiaImprimir.asp?idCanal=186&id=153608 Estrangeiras dominam prazer], Correio da Manhã (17 March 2005)

10,371,62727
QatarNo data

|

2,569,804-
RomaniaNo data

| 158,225 (2006)

19,778,08380
RussiaNo data

| 719,822 (2006)

143,964,51350
Rwanda12,000 (2016) 11,917,50810
Samoa400 (2016) 195,12521
São Tomé and Príncipe89 (2016) 199,9105
Saudi ArabiaNo data

|

32,275,687-
Senegal21,000 (2016) 15,411,61414
Serbia3,900 (2016) 8,820,0834
Seychelles586 (2016) 94,22862
Sierra Leone240,000 (2013) 7,396,190325
SingaporeNo data

|

5,622,455-
Slovakia No data

| 21,777 (2006)

5,444,21840
SloveniaNo data

| 2000-3000{{Cite web |title=Reversing the Epidemic; Facts and Policy Options |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/2004regionalecareversingtheepidemicen.pdf}}

2,077,86214
Somalia11,000 (2016) 14,317,9967
South Africa24,000 (2018) 56,015,4734
South KoreaNo data

|

50,791,919-
South Sudan5,000 (2016) 12,230,7304
Spain70,300 (2016) 46,347,57615
Sri Lanka14,000 (2016) 20,798,4927
Sudan212,500 (2016) 39,578,82853
Suriname2,200 (2016) 558,36839
Swaziland4,000 (2016) 1,343,09830
SwedenNo data

| 2,500 (2009)

9,837,5333
Switzerland20,000 (2011) 8,401,73924
Syria25,000 (2011) 18,430,45314
TaiwanNo data

| 100,000 (2011){{cite web|last1=Hsu|first1=Jenny W.|title=The Trouble With Taiwan's New Prostitution Rules|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/11/16/the-trouble-with-taiwans-new-prostitution-rules/|website=WSJ|access-date=10 February 2018|date=16 November 2011}}

23,556,70643
Tajikistan14,000 (2016) 8,734,95116
Tanzania160,000 (2016) 55,572,20129
Thailand144,000 (2016) 68,863,51420
Togo10,000 (2016) 7,606,37413
Tonga1,000 (2016) 107,12293
Tunisia25,000 (2011) 11,403,24822
TurkeyNo data

| 100,000+ (2016){{cite web|date=12 October 2016|title=Academic highlights high prostitution figures in Turkey's $4 billion industry|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/academic-highlights-high-prostitution-figures-in-turkeys-4-billion-industry--104897|access-date=13 March 2018|website=Hürriyet Daily News|language=en}}

| 79,512,426

13+
TurkmenistanNo data

| 5,663 (2006)

5,662,54410
Tuvalu10 (2016) 11,0979
Trinidad and Tobago1000 (2016)1,353,8957.3
Uganda130,000 (2019)

|

41,487,965-
Ukraine86,600 (2016) 44,438,62518
United Arab EmiratesNo data

| 30,000 (unknown){{cite web|title=Number of Prostitutes by Country - Havocscope|url=https://www.havocscope.com/number-of-prostitutes/|website=Havocscope|access-date=11 February 2018}}

9,269,61232
United KingdomNo data72,800 (2016){{cite web|date=15 June 2016|title=Prostitution|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmhaff/26/26.pdf|access-date=10 February 2018|publisher=House of Commons Home Affairs Committee}}

| 65,788,574

11
United States No data

| 1,000,000-2,000,000{{cite web|url=https://prostitution.procon.org/questions/how-many-prostitutes-are-in-the-united-states-and-the-rest-of-the-world/|title=How Many Prostitutes Are in the United States and the Rest of the World?|website=Prostitution.procon.org|access-date=7 November 2021}} (2010){{cite news|title=There Are 42 Million Prostitutes In The World, And Here's Where They Live|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/there-are-42-million-prostitutes-in-the-world-and-heres-where-they-live-2012-1?IR=T|author=Gus Lubin|date=17 January 2012|newspaper=Business Insider|access-date=4 January 2016}}

322,179,60531
Uruguay8,200 (2016) 3,444,00624
Uzbekistan22,000 (2016) 31,446,7957
Vanuatu2,000 (2016) 270,40274
VenezuelaNo data

| 473,523 (2006)

31,568,179150
Vietnam86,000 (2019) 94,569,0727
Yemen54,000 (2016) 27,584,21320
Zambia9,300 (2016) 16,591,3906
ZimbabweNo data

| 12,383 (2013){{cite web|title=12 383 sex workers register|url=https://www.herald.co.zw/12-383-sex-workers-register/|website=The Herald|access-date=11 February 2018|date=12 November 2013}}

16,150,3628

References

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Category:Prostitutes

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