Prostitution in Germany - Extent of Prostitution and Associated Issues

Extent of Prostitution and Associated Issues

Studies in the early 1990s estimated that about 50,000–200,000 women and some men worked as prostitutes in Germany. The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, published in 1997, reported that over 100,000 women work in prostitution in Germany. A 2005 study gave 200,000 as a "halfway realistic estimate". The prostitutes' organization HYDRA puts the number at 400,000, and this number is typically quoted in the press today. A 2009 study by TAMPEP also gave the HYDRA estimate of 400,000 full or part time prostitutes, with 93% being female, 3% transgender and 4% male.

The same study found that 63% of the prostitutes in Germany were foreigners, with two thirds of them coming from Central and Eastern Europe. In 1999 the proportion of foreign prostitutes had been 52%. The increase was attributed to the EU enlargement.

From other studies, it is estimated that between 10% and 30% of the male adult population have had experiences with prostitutes. Of those 17-year-old males in West Germany with experience of intercourse, 8% have had sex with a prostitute.

A 2009 survey identified the following main vulnerability factors for German sex workers (in the order of importance):

1. Financial problems, including debts and poverty.
2. Violence and abuse by clients, police and pimps.
3. No professional identity; lack of self-confidence.
4. Stigma and discrimination.
5. Exploitative personal dependencies.