Licensed sex businesses
Valid licences for prostitution businesses (brothels and other premises, agencies, events, vehicles) per 100,000 inhabitants, 31 December, 31.12.2025
The eastern states had 2.49 licensed prostitution businesses per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of 2025, 91% of the western rate of 2.75. Bremen (10.19) and Hamburg (7.76) have the highest rates.
< 2.68 per 100k2.68 per 100k4.18 per 100k5.69 per 100k7.19 per 100k≥ 8.69 per 100k
Inner-German border 1949–1990 ·16 states · 31.12.2025
Former West
2.75 per 100k
excl. Berlin
Former East
2.49 per 100k
excl. Berlin
Berlin
2.49 per 100k
Germany
2.70 per 100k
The East stands at 91% of the West's level (31.12.2025).
By state
- Bremen10.19 per 100k
- Hamburg7.76 per 100k
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern6.61 per 100k
- Niedersachsen3.80 per 100k
- Saarland3.57 per 100k
- Schleswig-Holstein3.35 per 100k
- Sachsen-Anhalt3.25 per 100k
- Bayern2.78 per 100k
- Berlin2.49 per 100k
- Nordrhein-Westfalen2.34 per 100k
- Hessen2.26 per 100k
- Sachsen1.86 per 100k
- Baden-Württemberg1.86 per 100k
- Rheinland-Pfalz1.48 per 100k
- Thüringen1.39 per 100k
- Brandenburg1.18 per 100k
31.12.2025
Notes & caveats
- Only registrations under the Prostitutes Protection Act (ProstSchG) are counted. Unregistered sex work is not recorded.
- Our calculation: count ÷ population on 31.12.2025 × 100,000. East = the five eastern states without Berlin.
- All licensed prostitution businesses are counted. Nationally 2,097 of 2,255 licences (93%) are for premises (Prostitutionsstätten) such as brothels; the split by type is suppressed for several states, so it cannot be mapped.
- Premises are counted where they are located; agencies, events and vehicles at the seat of the licensing authority.
- Thuringia: the count includes only businesses operating under the transitional rule (§ 37(4) ProstSchG), so it is incomplete.
- Berlin: Destatis carried over Berlin's 31.12.2024 figures because Berlin could not deliver 2025 data in time (a software vendor's update broke the statistics module). The Berlin value is therefore 2024 data divided by the 2025 population, and it is included in the German total, as Destatis does. Some other reporting offices hit by the same problem supplied data via input forms or agreed estimates.
Show the table
| State | Side | 31.12.2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Saarland | west | 3.57 per 100k |
| Berlin | berlin | 2.49 per 100k |
| Brandenburg | east | 1.18 per 100k |
| Mecklenburg-Vorpommern | east | 6.61 per 100k |
| Sachsen | east | 1.86 per 100k |
| Sachsen-Anhalt | east | 3.25 per 100k |
| Thüringen | east | 1.39 per 100k |
| Schleswig-Holstein | west | 3.35 per 100k |
| Hamburg | west | 7.76 per 100k |
| Niedersachsen | west | 3.80 per 100k |
| Bremen | west | 10.19 per 100k |
| Nordrhein-Westfalen | west | 2.34 per 100k |
| Hessen | west | 2.26 per 100k |
| Rheinland-Pfalz | west | 1.48 per 100k |
| Baden-Württemberg | west | 1.86 per 100k |
| Bayern | west | 2.78 per 100k |