Today we look at what is in most places a black market, prostitution. A recent article in The New York Times about a program designed to help prostitutes in Israel escape from dependence on prostitution provided the market size we post today. It is the estimated value of the prostitution business, annually, in Israel. Interestingly, prostitution is not a criminal offense in Israel, although running a brothel or operating as a pimp are illegal activities.

Geographic reference: Israel
Year: 2011
Market size: $500 million
Source: Isabel Kershner, “Prostitutes in Israel Are Finding New Lives in Training for the Fashion World,” The New York Times, January 4, 2013, page A9.
Posted on February 12, 2013