The number of registered prostitutes in Germany is rising but remains below pre-pandemic levels, according to government figures released on Friday.
The Federal Statistical Office reported that by the end of 2023, authorities had registered approximately 30,600 prostitutes, marking an 8.3% increase from the previous year.
Despite this increase, the number is still lower than before the pandemic. Authorities registered 40,400 prostitutes at the end of 2019. German law has required sex workers to register since 2017.
Unregistered sex workers are not included in these statistics.
The data indicates that three-quarters of registered prostitutes were between 21 and 44 years old, around one-fifth (21%) were 45 years or older, and 4% were between 18 and 20 years old.
Only 18% of registered sex workers were German citizens. The most common nationality was Romanian (36%), followed by Bulgarian (11%) and Spanish (7%).
The government does not track the gender of sex workers because registration does not require this information.
The number of valid or provisional permits for prostitution businesses remained unchanged from the previous year at 2,300. At the end of 2019, there were 2,200 registered prostitution businesses.
Of these businesses, 93% were physical establishments like brothels, 5% were prostitution agencies, and 2% were prostitution vehicles or events.
Operating a prostitution business in Germany requires a permit, and no data is available on businesses operating without one.
Germany’s Prostitution Act of 2002 designated prostitution as a normal trade. Since 2017, the Prostitute Protection Act has mandated that brothels obtain operating licenses.
Prostitutes must register their activity and undergo regular health counseling.