New data indicates an increase of victims of trafficking in human beings in the EU

On 3 April, EUROSTAT published the 2023 data for trafficking in human beings. The released data shows that 10 793 victims of human trafficking were registered in the European Union in 2023. This is a 6.9% increase compared to 2022, and is the highest recorded number in the period 2008-2023. The increase could partly be due to more attention by the authorities and agencies to detect and identify victims of trafficking. Many more remain undetected.

Approximately 63% of registered human trafficking victims in the EU in 2023 were women or girls. This serious issue calls for a high level of coordinated action. Through ProtectEU, we are developing a new EU strategy to combat trafficking, addressing every stage from prevention to prosecution.

Commissioner Magnus Brunner

28% of EU victims had the citizenship of the EU Member State in which they were trafficked. 8% of EU-citizens were trafficked in another EU Member State. The majority, 64% of the victims were non-EU nationals.

Similarly to 2022, 63% of trafficking victims in 2023 were women and girls. Children represented 13% of registered trafficking victims, a 6% decrease compared to the previous year.

Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation remains the main form of exploitation, with nearly 44%. Trafficking for labour exploitation reached 35%. Trafficking for other purposes such as benefit fraud, criminal activities, forced begging, organ removal - represented just over 20%, which confirms a continuous increase.

The criminal justice response against traffickers was reinforced: the number of suspected traffickers increased by 5% and the number of convicted traffickers increased by 10%.

Find out more

EUROSTAT: Trafficking in human beings statistics

Together against Trafficking in Human Beings