One Map

All maps › Eating a human

Is eating a human a crime in your country?

The 2026 map of where eating a human is a named crime or partly covered, aired Nov 5, 2026. Sources

Watch on YouTube
Also on TikTok ▸

The video shows the map as it aired on Nov 5, 2026. The counts on this page are kept up to date.

4+A Crime
7Partial or unconfirmed
184No law found

4 is a floor, not a full count. No law we found names it, and many national codes could not be read. That does not mean it is legal: murder, corpse and burial laws still apply almost everywhere.

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAngolaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBangladeshBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBoliviaBosnia and Herz.BotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCentral African Rep.ChadChileChinaColombiaCongoCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDem. Rep. CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominican Rep.EcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEq. GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Is.FijiFinlandFr. S. Antarctic LandsFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGreenlandGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLithuaniaLuxembourgMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaliMauritaniaMexicoMoldovaMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarN. CyprusNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorth KoreaNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaS. SudanSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSierra LeoneSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon Is.SomaliaSomalilandSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamW. SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweeSwatini
A Crime (at least 4)Partial or unconfirmed (7)No law found

Sources: Rwanda Law 68/2018, Official Gazette 27 Sep 2018 · Burundi Loi 1/27 of 2017, FAOLEX · Benin Loi 2018-16 · How we rate it

Is it a crime where you live? Check your country
Show the 184 countries with no law found

No qualifying national law was found for these countries in the sources under Sources.

A named crime in at least 4 countries

  • Congo - KinshasaA crime

    Taking part, or holding the flesh: up to 3 years.

    Source: Code penal art. 62

    Why we rate it this way

    Art. 62: provoking, preparing or taking part in acts of anthropophagy, or holding flesh meant for them, 6 months to 3 years. Applied by a Kinshasa court in Feb 2026.

  • BeninA crime

    Selling, cooking or eating human flesh: 15 to 20 years.

    Source: Code penal 2018 art. 459

    Why we rate it this way

    Loi 2018-16 art. 459: selling, buying, transporting, preparing or eating human flesh, 15 to 20 years and a fine.

  • BurundiA crime

    Taking part, or just holding the flesh: life in prison.

    Source: Code penal 2017 art. 239

    Why we rate it this way

    Loi 1/27 of 29 Dec 2017 art. 239: provoking, preparing or taking part in acts of anthropophagy, or being found with human flesh meant for them: life.

  • RwandaA crime

    Eating human flesh, or feeding it to others: 10 to 15 years.

    Source: Law 68/2018 art. 131

    Why we rate it this way

    Law 68/2018 art. 131 (Cannibalism): any person who eats human flesh or feeds other people with human flesh commits an offence; 10 to 15 years.

No law we found names it, and many national codes could not be read. That does not mean it is legal: murder, corpse and burial laws still apply almost everywhere.

Partial or unconfirmed law in 7 countries

  • United StatesPartial or unconfirmed

    No federal law. Only Idaho names it: up to 14 years.

    Source: Idaho Code 18-5003

    Why we rate it this way

    No federal law. Idaho alone names cannibalism (up to 14 years, survival defence). Other states rely on corpse laws.

  • Burkina FasoPartial or unconfirmed

    Only murder for cannibalism is named: life in prison.

    Source: Code penal art. 512-15

    Why we rate it this way

    Loi 025-2018/AN art. 512-15 names murder committed for anthropophagy (life); eating itself is not a separate offence.

  • TogoPartial or unconfirmed

    Only murder for cannibalism is named: 20 to 30 years.

    Source: Code penal 2015 art. 166

    Why we rate it this way

    Loi 2015-10 art. 166(4) names murder for anthropophagy as aggravated; the old flesh-eating offence was dropped.

  • GabonPartial or unconfirmed

    Its penal code covers cannibalism; current text unconfirmed.

    Source: Code penal, Titre XVIII

    Why we rate it this way

    Title XVIII of the 2019/2020 penal code covers witchcraft, charlatanism and acts of anthropophagy; offence confirmed via a 2020 legal commentary, penalty text not read first-hand. Counted amber, not a confirmed ban: the wording was seen but the current in-force text or penalty was not confirmed on 5 Nov 2026.

  • Congo - BrazzavillePartial or unconfirmed

    An older code text names it; current status unconfirmed.

    Source: Code penal art. 302

    Why we rate it this way

    Art. 302 as completed by Decret 47/2248: any act of anthropophagy or traffic in human flesh is punished. Counted amber, not a confirmed ban: the wording was seen but the current in-force text or penalty was not confirmed on 5 Nov 2026.

  • Central African RepublicPartial or unconfirmed

    The 2010 code names it; current status unconfirmed.

    Source: Code penal 2010 art. 60

    Why we rate it this way

    Loi 10.001 of 6 Jan 2010 art. 60: any act of anthropophagy or traffic in human flesh or bones is punished. Counted amber, not a confirmed ban: the wording was seen but the current in-force text or penalty was not confirmed on 5 Nov 2026.

  • MauritaniaPartial or unconfirmed

    The 1983 code names it; current status unconfirmed.

    Source: Ordonnance 83-162 art. 278

    Why we rate it this way

    Ordonnance 83-162 of 1983 art. 278 names any act of anthropophagy (WIPO Lex and ILGA copies of the same text). Counted amber, not a confirmed ban: nothing confirmed the article is unchanged since 1983.

All 195 countries: is eating a human a crime?

Sources

Green means a national law names cannibalism itself, with its text and status confirmed. Amber means a partial or unconfirmed rule. Red means we found no law naming it, and many codes could not be read. Red does not mean it is allowed: murder, corpse and burial laws still apply almost everywhere.

  • Rwanda Law 68/2018, Official Gazette 27 Sep 2018: art. 131 Cannibalism
  • Burundi Loi 1/27 of 2017, FAOLEX: art. 239
  • Benin Loi 2018-16: art. 459

Each country in the lists names the source for its rule; countries not listed had no qualifying national law in these sources. Laws as of November 2026. We map the law on the books, not how well it is enforced.

Laws as of November 2026. Each row names its source.Report a mistake

Vote for what we map next
Use this map

Free for articles, lessons and videos. Just credit One Map with a link.

Download image Download data
Press, teachers & creators →

More ban maps

Child Car SeatMandatory in 96 countriesSee the map ›Cluster munitionsBanned in 110 countriesSee the map ›StarlinkBanned in 9 countries Watch the mapIvoryBanned in 5 countries Watch the mapJob at 13Banned in 41 countries Watch the mapWhale meatBanned in 35 countriesSee the map ›
A new ban map every day

Which country bans what, mapped in 30 seconds.

15M+ views a month

Followon TikTokSubscribeon YouTubeFollow on WhatsAppEvery new map, the second it drops