Reference series · 2026 edition
Sex work, by the numbers.
Country-by-country reference pages on the sex industry: how many people sell sex, who buys it, what the law says and how it is enforced. Every figure is traced to a primary source and free to reuse.
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GB
United Kingdom102,000 people sell sex in the UK, by our 2025 estimate. Legal to buy and sell, illegal to organise, and worth £6.7bn a year to the ONS.
Published
139 statistics · 82 sources · updated 18 September 2026English -
AU
AustraliaDecriminalised in NSW since 1995, criminalised elsewhere: a natural experiment by state.
In preparation
In researchEnglish -
DE
GermanyLegal and regulated since 2002, with registration since 2017. The largest legal market in Europe.
In preparation
In researchDeutschEnglish -
AT
AustriaLegal, registered and subject to compulsory health checks. Nine provinces, nine sets of rules.
In preparation
In researchDeutschEnglish -
IT
ItalySelling sex is legal, almost everything around it is not: the Merlin Law at 68.
In preparation
In researchItalianoEnglish -
BR
BrazilLegal and recognised as an occupation since 2002, unregulated in practice.
In preparation
In researchPortuguêsEnglish