Human trafficking - Statistics & Facts

Despite increased international attention and resources from states and other non-governmental institutions, the number of people falling victim to human trafficking around the world continues to grow. Between 2008 and 2019 the number of human trafficking victims identified worldwide more than quadrupled from around 30,000 to nearly 120,000. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of trafficking victims fell as travel restrictions made human trafficking more difficult. However, trafficking in persons is an illegal practice that is shaded in secrecy, and it is therefore nearly impossible to measure it in its entirety.

Forms of trafficking

The two primary forms of exploitation people are trafficked for are forced labor and sexual exploitation, with regional variances on the proportion of each. Although sexual exploitation remains the primary form, the prevalence of forced labor as the criminal’s motivation has grown in the last decade. This, in part, explains the rising share of male victims in human trafficking. The vast majority of male trafficking victims are trafficked for the purpose of forced labor, some 67 percent in 2018.

Trafficking in women

While the majority of men are trafficked for forced labor purposes, women are primarily victims of sexual exploitation, with 77 percent of female victims being trafficked for this purpose in 2018. Whilst forced labor and exploitation of other forms certainly are an issue, the disturbing images of women falling victim to the global sex trade remain as omnipresent as ever. In the United States, the sheer number of female victims is reflected in the dominant share of women in calls to the national hotline for victims of human trafficking. Moreover, there are also significant gender differences among the victims of forced labor; while women often are recruited for domestic work as well as illicit purposes, men are overrepresented in the construction industry.

Fight against human trafficking

On the international level, South and Central Asia was the region with the highest number of trafficking victims in 2021. Despite this, the highest number of prosecutions related to human trafficking in 2021 were conducted in Europe. Accordingly, these prosecutions resulted in numerous convictions. With the number of convictions worldwide more than doubling between 2009 and 2019, there is some reason to believe that improvements are being made in removing the terror of human trafficking and exploitation from many of the world’s most vulnerable people. However, as the number of cases fell with the pandemic, so did the number of convictions, and it is assumed that the number of cases continues to be far higher than those reported.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Sep 13, 2022

Key insights

Country with the highest number of people in modern slavery
India
Country with the highest prevalence of people in modern slavery
North Korea
Share of human trafficking victims trafficked for sexual exploitation
39%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Total number of human trafficking victims identified worldwide from 2008 to 2021

Crime & Law Enforcement

Number of human trafficking victims worldwide 2008-2021

Share of trafficking victims worldwide from 2004 to 2020, by gender and age

Crime & Law Enforcement

Share of trafficking victims worldwide 2004-2020, by gender and age

Countries with the largest number of people in modern slavery, as of 2018

Crime & Law Enforcement

Countries with the largest number of people in modern slavery 2018

Related topics

Recommended

5

Recommended statistics

Overview

6

Overview

Trafficking

7

Trafficking

Forced labor

7

Forced labor

Sexual exploitation

7

Sexual exploitation

Forced marriages

6

Forced marriages

Law enforcement

7

Law enforcement

Reports & StudiesGet the best reports to understand your industry

Crime in the United States
Crime in the United States
Femicide in Latin America
Femicide in Latin America
Gender inequality in the UK
Gender inequality in the UK
Crime in the Asia-Pacific region
Crime in the Asia-Pacific region
Gender equality worldwide
Gender equality worldwide

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Vayola Jocelyn
Vayola Jocelyn
Client Support Specialist– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Associate Director - LAC– Contact (Latin America)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu