Red-light districts are areas associated with the sex industry and sex-oriented businesses (e.g. sex shops and strip clubs). In some of these places prostitution occurs, whether legally or illegally. The enforcement of prostitution laws varies by region. Following is a partial list of well known red-light districts around the world, both current and historical.

Africa

Algeria

Prostitution is legal but third-party involvement is prohibited.

Burkina Faso

Prostitution is not specifically prohibited by the law, but soliciting and pimping are illegal.

Egypt

Prostitution in Egypt is illegal.

Ivory Coast

Prostitution in Ivory Coast is legal.

Kenya

Prostitution is illegal.

Mauritania

Prostitution in Mauritania is illegal.

Morocco

Prostitution is illegal. • Casablanca • * Bousbir(defunct) • Fez • * Moullay Abdullah (defunct) • Marrakesh • * Bab el Khemis • Rabat • * Oukassa (defunct) • Tangier • *Petit Socco

South Africa

Prostitution is illegal. • Durban • * Point Road • Johannesburg • *Hillbrow

Tunisia

Prostitution is regulated.

Asia

Bangladesh

Prostitution in Bangladesh is legal and regulated. • Bagerhat District • * Bani Shanta • Faridpur District • * Faridpur • Narayanganj • * Tanbazar • Rajbari District • * Daulatdia • Tangail District • * Kandapara

Cambodia

Prostitution is illegal, but tolerated.

China

Prostitution is illegal. • Beijing • * Dashilan • Shanghai • * Simalu

Hong Kong

Prostitution itself is not illegal but operating a brothel is illegal.

India

Prostitution is legal when performed by a person acting alone in private but public solicitation, brothels and pimping are illegal (however in practice prostitution is tolerated and regulated). • Prayagraj • *Meergunj • Bundi • *Mohanpura • Gwalior • * Rashmpura • Hyderabad • *Mehboob Ki Kehandi • Jaipur • * Tilawala • Jodhpur • * Jawaharkhana Ghaas Mandi • Kolkata • * Bowbazar • * Garia • * Kalighat • * Kidderpore • * Kada Road, Durgapur • * Lebu Bagan • * Sonagachi • * Tollygunge • Meerut • * Kabadi Bazar • Mumbai • * Kamathipura • Muzaffarpur • * Chaturbhuj Sthan • Nagpur • * Ganga Jamuna, SMS King, Itwari • New Delhi • * Garstin Bastion Road • Pune • * Budhwar Peth • Sitamarhi • * Boha Tola – (burnt down in 2008) • Surat • * Chakla Bazar • Varanasi • * Dalamandi, near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple – (closed 1970s) • * Shivdaspur

Indonesia

Prostitution is illegal in non-regulated areas. Prostitution is legal in some locations (including pimping and maintaining a brothel). • Batam • *Nagoya • Jakarta • *Kalijodo (demolished on 29 February 2016, now a public park) • *Kramat Tunggak (closed in 1999) • Deli Serdang • * Bandar Baru • Surabaya • * Gang Dolly (closed in 2014)

Iran

Prostitution in Iran is illegal, and incurs various punishments ranging from fines and jail terms to execution for repeat offenders.

Iraq

Prostitution in Iraq is illegal, and penalties are severe.

Israel

Japan

Prostitution is illegal but narrowly defined. Many sexual acts for pay that would be considered to be prostitution in other countries are legal. • Fukuoka • *Nakasu • Gifu • *Kanazuen • Hokkaidō • *Susukino • Kyoto • *Shimabara (defunct) • Osaka • * Imasato Shinchi • * Jūsō • * Kujo • * Matsushima Shinchi • * Shinchi Otobe (defunct) • *Shinmachi • * Shinodayama Shinchi • * Tobita Shinchi • * Yoshiwara (defunct) • Tokyo • * Kabukichō • * Roppongi • *Yoshiwara (defunct)

Jordan

Prostitution is illegal.

Kyrgyzstan

Prostitution is legal but pimping and operating a brothel are illegal.

Malaysia

Prostitution in most of Malaysia is legal and widespread, though there are laws against prostitution-related activities. However, prostitution is illegal in Malaysia's Kelantan state.

South Korea

Prostitution is illegal, but in practice it is tolerated and regulated. • Daegu • * Jagalmadang • Paju • *Yong Ju Gol • Seoul • *Cheonho • * Cheongnyangni 588 (demolished 2017) • *Hooker Hill, Itaewon • * Mia-ri • * Yeongdeungpo

Pakistan

Prostitution is illegal, but in practice it is somewhat tolerated although not regulated. • Hyderabad • * Bazaar-i-Husn • * Serey Ghat • Karachi • * Napier Road • Lahore • * Heera Mandi • Multan • * Bazaar-i-Husn • Peshawar • * Thatti Bazaar

Philippines

Prostitution is illegal, but widespread and generally tolerated.

Singapore

Prostitution itself is not illegal; however, public solicitation, living on the earnings of prostitution, and maintaining a brothel are illegal.

Taiwan

Prostitution in Taiwan was made illegal under a 1991 law. Legislation was introduced in 2011 to allow local governments in Taiwan to set up "special zones" where prostitution is permitted. Outside these zones prostitution is illegal. As of 2017 no "special zones" had been opened.

Thailand

Prostitution is illegal in Thailand, and solicitation and public nuisance laws are in effect. In practice it is tolerated and partly regulated. • Bangkok • * Patpong • * Soi Pratuchai • * The western Sukhumvit Road area (notably including Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy; formerly included the now-defunct Clinton Plaza) • * Washington Square (demolished 2013) • Phuket • * Soi Bang-La – Patong Beach • Pattaya • * Beach Road • * Boyztown • * Soi 6 • * Sunee Plaza • * Walking Street

Turkey

Prostitution is legal and regulated.

Europe

Austria

Prostitution is legal and regulated.

Belgium

Prostitution is legal, though brothels are not. Enforcement of the law can be lax. • Antwerp • * Schipperskwartier including Villa Tinto • Brussels • *Alhambra Quarter • *Avenue Louise • * Place Fontainas • *Rue d'Aerschot and surrounds • Charleroi • * "Charleroi Triangle" (closed 2011) • * Area around ministère des Finances • * Faubourg de Bruxelles and the N5, Gosselies • Deinze • * Kortrijksesteenweg (N43). • Ghent • * Schepenenvijverstraat/Pieter Vanderdoncktdoorgang (including Glazen Straatje) • * Belgradostraat • Liège • * Rue du Champion/Rue de l'Agneau (windows closed in 2009, street prostitution still occurs) • Ostend • * hazegras • Seraing • * Rue Marnix • * A purpose built "Eros Centre" is planned than abandoned • Sint-Truiden • * Luikersteenweg (know locally as "Chaussée d'Amour")

Croatia

Prostitution is illegal.

Czech Republic

Prostitution is legal, but brothels and other forms of procuring are prohibited. Ostrava

Denmark

Prostitution is legal, but running brothels and pimping are illegal.

Finland

Prostitution is legal, but running brothels and pimping are illegal.

France

Paying for sex, pimping and keeping a brothel are illegal. Prostitutes commit no offence unless soliciting. • Angers • *Place Pierre Semard • Avignon • * Bourg Neuf • Béziers • * Avenue President Wilson • Bordeaux • * Quartier de la Gare Saint Jean • * Quartier Saint-Rémi • * Les Quinconces • Caen • * Saint Saveur (defunct) • * Presqu'île de Caen • Cannes • * La croisette • Le Havre • * rue LeSueur/rue Haudry/rue Laperouse (defunct) • Lille • * Quartier Peuple Belge (defunct) • * La Madeleine (defunct) • Limoges • * Champ de Juillet (defunct) • Lyon • * Gare de Perrache • * River "quais" • Mantes-la-Jolie • * Quartier du Val Fourré • Marseille • * La Canebière • Montpellier • * Boulevard de Strasbourg • Nancy • * Rue de la Source • Nantes • * Rue Paul Bellamy • * Quai de la Fosse • * Rue de Strasbourg • * Rue de Talensac • Nice • * Promenade des Anglais • * Rue de France • Paris • * Beaubourg (17c now defunct), including: • ** Rue Gratte-Cul, now Rue Dussoubs • ** Rue Maubuée, now Rue de Venise • ** Rue du Poil-au-Con, now Rue du Pélican • ** Rue Pute-y-Musse, now Rue du Petit-Musc • ** Rue Tire-Vit, now Rue Marie-Stuart • ** Rue Trousse-Nonnain, now Rue Beaubourg • ** Rue Troussevache, now rue de La Reynie • * 1st arrondissement • ** Rue Saint-Denis • * 3rd arrondissement • ** Rue Trace-Putain (defunct) later rue Tasse-Nonnain, now part of Rue Beaubourg • * 4th arrondissement • ** Rue Brisemiche (Defunct) later rue Baillehoë and now part of Rue Brisemiche • * 9th arrondissement • ** Barbès-Rochechouart • ** Rue de Budapest (defunct) • ** Quartier Pigalle (defunct) • * 10th arrondissement • ** Porte Saint-Martin • * Bois de Boulogne • * Bois de Vincennes • Rouen • * Boulevard des Belges • * Rue St Jacques • Strasbourg • * Avenue de la Forêt-Noire • *Route du Rhin • *Quai des Alpes • *Quai Louis-Pasteur • *Boulevard de Lyon Quartier de la Gare • Toulouse • * Rue Bayard • * Quartier du Canal • * Boulevard de Strasbourg • Troyes

Germany

Prostitution is legal and regulated. • Aachen • *Antoniusstraße • Augsburg • *Hasengasse • Berlin • *Bülowstraße • *Kurfüstendamm (defunct) • *Kurfürstenstraße • * Oranienburger Straße • *Potsdamer Straße (defunct) • *Stuttgarter Platz (defunct) • Bielefeld • *Eckendorferstraße • Bochum • *Im Winkel • Bonn • *Immenburgstraße • Braunschweig • *Bruchstraße • Bremen • * Die Küste (defunct) • *Helenenstraße • * Punkendeich (defunct) • Bremerhaven • *Lessingstraße • Cologne • *Hornstraße • Darmstadt • *Bismarckstraße • Dortmund • *Linienstraße • *Ravensberger Straße (defunct) • Duisburg • *Vulkanstraße • Düsseldorf • *Hinter dem Bahndamm • Essen • *Stahlstraße • Flensburg • *Oluf-Samsons-Gang • Frankfurt • *Bahnhofsviertel • * Breite Gasse • Hagen • *Düppenbeckerstraße • Hamburg • *St. Georg • *St. Pauli: area around Reeperbahn • Hanover • *Am Steintor • *Ludwigstraße • * Reitwallstraße • Karlsruhe • *Brunnenstraße • Kiel • *Wall am Hafen • Lübeck • *Clemensstraße (defunct) • Mannheim • *Lupinenstraße • Minden • *Rampenloch (defunct, last 2 brothels closed in 2018) • Munich • *Landsberger Straße • *Schillerstraße • *Stahlgruberring • Nuremberg • *Frauentormauer • Oberhausen • *Flaßhofstraße • Stuttgart • *Leonhardsviertel • Ulm • *Blaubeurer Straße

Gibraltar

Prostitution illegal.

Greece

Prostitution is legal and regulated.

Ireland

Paying for sex is illegal, as is soliciting in a public place, operating brothels, and other forms of pimping.

Italy

Prostitution in Italy is legal, although organized prostitution, whether indoors in brothels or controlled by third parties, is prohibited.

Luxembourg

Prostitution is legal, but running brothels and pimping are illegal.

Malta

Prostitution is legal, but running brothels and pimping are illegal.

Netherlands

Prostitution and associated activities are legal and common. A total of 11 cities in the Netherlands have red light districts with window prostitution. • Alkmaar • *Achterdam • Amsterdam • *De Wallen • *Singel • *de Pijp • Arnhem – closed 2006 • Deventer • *Bokkingshang • Doetinchem • *Roerstraat • Eindhoven • *Baekelandplein • Groningen • Haarlem • The Hague • *Geleenstraat • *Hunsestraat • *Doubletstraat • Heerenveen • *Munnikstraat • Leeuwarden • Nijmegen • *New Market • Rotterdam – closed 2003 • * Keileweg • Utrecht – closed 2013 • * Hardebollenstraat • * Zandpad

Portugal

Prostitution is legal, but running brothels and pimping are illegal.

Serbia

Spain

Brothels are illegal (since 1956), but "clubs" and "wiskerias" are fronts for prostitution and are tolerated. • Barcelona • *Barrio Chino, • **Carrer de Sant Ramon • **Carrer d'En Robador • * La Rambla • *Ronda de Sant Antoni • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria • *Calle Molino de Viento • Madrid • * Centro • ** Calle Atocha • ** Calle Carretas • ** Calle de Barco • ** Calle del Desengaño • **Calle de la Ballesta • **Calle Montera • ** Calle de Valverde • ** Plaza de la Luna • ** Plaza Jacinto Benavente • ** Puerta del Sol • * Casa de Campo (defunct) • * Colonia Marconi • * El Gato industrial area • * Parque del Oeste • ** Paseo de Camoens • * Vicálvaro • ** Polígono de Villaverde • Palma de Mallorca • *Carrer de la Ferreria • Salamanca • * Barrio Chino de Salamanca (defunct) • Santa Cruz de Tenerife • *Calle Miraflores • Valencia • *Calle de Viana

Switzerland

Prostitution is legal and regulated. • Zürich • *Langstrasse • * Strichplatz • Bern • *Lorraine • Geneva • *Les Pâquis • Lausanne • *Sevelin

United Kingdom

England

Prostitution is not illegal when performed by a person acting alone in private, but public solicitation, brothels and pimping are. The Policing and Crime Act 2009 makes it illegal to pay for sex with a prostitute who has been "subjected to force" and this is a strict liability offence (clients can be prosecuted even if they did not know the prostitute was forced). • Bradford • *Manningham – the red light district is situated around Lumb Lane and Manningham Lane and was featured in the TV series Band of Gold. • Huddersfield • * Great Northern Street • Leeds • *Chapeltown – the traditional red light-area was around the Spencer Place and Avenue Hill streets. This has diminished in importance since the emergence of Holbeck as a red-light district. • * Holbeck – Under a scheme started in October 2014, initiated by West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council, sex workers may trade without fear of arrest on an industrial estate in Leeds' Holbeck district; providing they obey various rules, including only working between 7 pm and 7 am and only working within the area. This scheme was scrapped in 2021. • Leicester • * South Highfields (defunct) • London • * Gropecunt Lane (possible medieval; defunct) • * King's Cross • * Piccadilly Circus (defunct) • * Bayswater • * Earl's Court • * Shepherd Market • * Soho • Middlesbrough • * Over the Border / St Hilda's • Nottingham • * Forest Road • * Mapperley Road • Plymouth • *Millbay • Portsmouth • *Sailortown (defunct) • Preston, Lancashire • * Fletcher Road/St Mary's Street • Reading • *Oxford Road and its adjoining streets • Shrewsbury • * Grope Lane (medieval; defunct) • * Mountfields (defunct) • Stoke-on-Trent • *Cobridge • Swindon • * Manchester Road/Gorse Hill • ** Rivers Way • Wolverhampton • * All Saints/Parkfield/ Horseley Fields/West Park

Northern Ireland

Scotland

• Edinburgh • * Defunct Leith/Coburg Street/Salamander Street (all defunct) • * Edinburgh does have brothels, but not a red light district. • Glasgow • * Blythswood Square (defunct)

Wales

North America

Antigua and Barbuda

Prostitution is legal, but related activities are prohibited.

Aruba

Prostitution is legal and regulated.

Barbados

Prostitution is legal, but related activities such as brothel keeping and solicitation are prohibited.

Canada

Prostitution is legal but the purchase of sexual services is not (the client commits the offence not the prostitute). Many associated activities (brothels, advertising, street walking) are also illegal.

Costa Rica

Prostitution is legal, but related activities such as brothel keeping are illegal.

Guatemala

Prostitution is legal, but procuring is prohibited.

Mexico

Prostitution is legal and regulated. • Mexico City • *La Merced Market • *Zona Rosa • Nuevo Laredo • * Zona de Tolerancia • Tijuana • * Zona Norte • Tuxtla Gutiérrez • *Zona Galáctica

Panama

United States

Prostitution laws vary by state and territory, however it is illegal except for some rural counties of Nevada. Strip clubs are legal in most areas, including fully nude strip clubs. Many massage shops offer "happy endings", which is an illegal form of prostitution. • Anchorage, Alaska • *Alley B, Spenard (1914 to 1954) • *South Addition (Closed 1916) • *Spenard Road (defunct) • Ketchikan, Alaska • * Creek Street (c.1903–1954) • Skagway, Alaska • *7th Avenue (closed c.1910) • Phoenix, Arizona • *Van Buren Street • Tucson, Arizona • *Miracle Mile • Los Angeles, California • *Figueroa Street • *Sepulveda Boulevard • *Sunset Boulevard (historical) • *Western Avenue, Hollywood • San Diego, California • *Stingaree (historical) • San Francisco, California • *Barbary Coast (historical) • *Broadway/Columbus Avenue • * Tenderloin (historic) • Cripple Creek, Colorado • * Myers Avenue (defunct) • Denver, Colorado • *East Colfax Avenue • *Market Street (closed 1913) • Orlando, Florida • * OBT, also known as Orange Blossom Trail (historical) • Tampa, Florida • * Nebraska Avenue (Active) • * East Adamo Drive, also known as Florida State Road 60 • *Drew Park • Atlanta, Georgia • *Cheshire Bridge Road • *Metropolitan Parkway • *Murrell's Row • *Slabtown (defunct) • Macon, Georgia • * Oak Street • Savannah, Georgia • *Franklin Square area • Honolulu, Hawaii • *Chinatown (defunct) • *Iwilei(defunct) • *Hotel Street (defunct) • Chicago, Illinois • *The Levee (historical) • Davenport, Iowa • *Bucktown (historic) • Council Bluffs, Iowa • *South 24th Street area • New Orleans, Louisiana • * Storyville (historical) • Shreveport, Louisiana • * St. Paul's Bottoms (defunct) • Baltimore, Maryland • * The Block: The 400 block of East Baltimore St, almost exclusively consists of adult entertainment businesses. • Boston, Massachusetts • * Anne Street (historic) • *The Combat Zone (largely historical, mostly defunct) • Detroit, Michigan • * 8 Mile Road • * Michigan Ave • Grand Rapids, Michigan • *Division Avenue • Milwaukee, Wisconsin • *River Street (historic) • Minneapolis, Minnesota • *Mill District (historic) • Kansas City, Missouri • *Independence Ave • Butte, Montana • *Venus Alley • Omaha, Nebraska • * Burnt District (historic) • * Sporting District (historical) • Las Vegas, Nevada • * Block 16 (closed in 1942) • *Boulder Highway • * Fremont Street • *Las Vegas Strip • Reno, Nevada • * The Stockade (closed 1940s) • Rhyolite, Nevada • * Tenderloin (Defunct) • Tonopah, Nevada • * Corona Avenue area (closed 1915) • * St. Patrick Street area (closed 1952) • Atlantic City, New Jersey • *"The Atlantic City Boardwalk" near the casinos • New York City • * "The Deuce" near Times Square. Comprised West 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. (defunct/culturally significant/historical) • * Hunts Point, Bronx: Historically known for prostitution and was subject of the film Hookers at the Point • *Minnesota Strip (defunct) • *SoHo, Manhattan (historic) • *Tenderloin, Manhattan (defunct) • *Christopher Street Pier (defunct) known for its LGBTQ+ prostitution in the 1970s and 1980s. Referenced in shows such as Pose • *Times Square (defunct/culturally significant/historical) • Minot, North Dakota • * High Third (historical) • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • *Hell's Half Acre (historic) • * Valley Brook • Chester, Pennsylvania • *Bethel Court (defunct) • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • * Kensington Avenue, Philadelphia: Known for street prostitution; infamous for The Kensington Strangler who was captured in 2011 • *Northern Liberties (largely historical, mostly defunct) • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • * Liberty Avenue (historical) • Dallas, Texas • *Harry Hines • *Northwest Highway • Fort Worth, Texas • *Hell's Half Acre (historic) • Houston, Texas • *The Bissonnet Track • *Fourth Ward – The Reservation/Happy Hollow (Historical) • San Antonio, Texas • * Sporting District (historical) • Washington, D.C. • * Murder Bay (defunct)

Oceania

Australia

Prostitution laws vary by state, either being legal or decriminalized. • Adelaide • *Hindley Street • Brisbane • * Fortitude Valley • * Kangaroo Point • * New Farm • Canberra • *Fyshwick • Kalgoorlie • * Hay Street • Melbourne • * King Street • *St Kilda • Surfers Paradise • * Cavill Avenue • Sydney • * Kings Cross • * Darlinghurst/East Sydney

New Zealand

Prostitution and associated activities are legal. • Auckland • * Karangahape Road • * Papatoetoe, specifically Hunter's Corner • Christchurch • * Manchester Street • Wellington • * Vivian Street