On August 21 Germany's federal statistics office, Destatis, reported that about 32,500 sex workers were validly registered with the authorities under the Prostituiertenschutzgesetz (ProstSchG) at the end of 2025. That's 0.7% more than the 32,300 in 2024. A small rise. But the number is still far below the 40,400 registered in 2019, before the pandemic. So six years later, registered activity still hasn't come back to pre-2020 levels.
Who's Actually Registered
Most registered workers are on the younger side: 74% are between 21 and 44, 24% are 45 or older, and only 3% are between 18 and 20. By nationality, German citizens make up just 18% of registrations. Romanian nationals are the biggest single group at 35%, followed by Bulgarian (11%) and Spanish (9%) nationals. On the business side registrations barely moved, at around 2,260 licensed establishments. 93% of them are classified as Prostitutionsstätten, fixed venues like brothels, not agencies or event-based operations.
What the Numbers Don't Capture
Destatis says clearly that this statistic only covers registered activity under ProstSchG. Unregistered providers and unlicensed venues aren't counted at all, so the real size of the industry is almost certainly bigger than the official number. That gap is one reason registration still confuses providers who are deciding whether to make their status official. Our guide to registering under ProstSchG explains what registration actually requires and what rights you get with it.
For clients the data is a good reality check on how regulated the German market really is, compared to its reputation. If you want to know what's legal where, our city-by-city legal guide shows how the rules work out from Berlin to Munich, and our German pricing guide covers what rates look like in the country's big markets.
James Whitaker