COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Statistics and trends in trafficking in human being in the European Union in 2019-2020 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings (Fourth Report)
Date: 2022-12-19
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, coronavirus disease, data collection, epidemic, fight against crime, help for victims, human rights, organised crime, prostitution, trafficking in human beings

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 19.12.2022  SWD(2022) 429 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Statistics and trends in trafficking in human being in the European Union in 2019-2020 Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS  Report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings (Fourth Report) {COM(2022) 736 final}  
 
 
The Staff Working Document sets out the state of play regarding the levels of and trends in 
THB.  The  analysis  is  extracted  from  data  provided  by  EUROSTAT1.  The  analysis  will 
primarily focus on the period 2019-2020.  

  1. TOTAL NUMBER OF VICTIMS: CURRENT SITUATION AND TRENDS 

The  total  number  of  victims  registered  in  the  EU272  during  the  period  2019-2020  was 
14,311, with an average of 8 registered EU-citizen victims per million inhabitants. The total 
annual number of victims showed a slight decrease from the 7,777 registered victims in 2019 
to  6,534  in  2020.  The  actual  number  of  victims  is  likely  significantly  higher  than 
reported data suggests, as these statistics only capture victims that become known to one of 
the registering entities and many victims remain undetected. 

The  most  victims  were  registered  in  2019-2020  in  France  (2,709),  in  the  Netherlands 
(2,318), in Italy (2,114), in Romania (1,294) and in Germany (1,271). If one considers the 
number  of  victims  proportionate  to  the  population  size,  rather  than  the  absolute  number  of 
victims, the most victims were registered in the Netherlands (67 per 100 000 inhabitants), 
Austria (44 per 100 000 inhabitants), Cyprus (35 per 100 000 inhabitants), Romania (33 per 
100 000 inhabitants) and Sweden (23 per 100 000 inhabitants). 

Figure 1: Number of victims per (registering) Member State in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

1 Eurostat collects data from the Member States via the national statistical offices. A questionnaire was sent to 
all  Member  States  with  requests  to  provide  data  per  indicators,  together  with  guidelines  on  how  to  fill  in  the 
questionnaire. All Member States provided data on victims for both 2019 and 2020. 25 Member States provided 
data on suspects in 2019 (all but EE and RO) and 23 in 2020 (all but EE, IE, NL and RO). 24 Member States 
provided data on prosecuted persons in 2019-2020 (all but CY, DE and IT). 26 Member States provided data on 
convicted persons in 2019 (all but IT) and 25 in 2020 (all but BE and IT).  
2 The data collection does not include the UK.  

1 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
  2. TRENDS IN THE FORMS OF EXPLOITATION 

2.1. 

2.1. 

 Overview of trends 

The  main  forms  of  exploitation  in  the  EU  are  sexual  exploitation  and  labour 
exploitation. During the reporting period, sexual exploitation made up 51% of the share of 
trafficking cases, followed by labour exploitation (28%). Other forms of exploitation in order 
of prevalence are criminal activities (3%), forced begging (3%), other non-specified (5%) and 
unknown (10%).  

Figure 2: Number of victims per Member State and form of exploitation in 2019-20203 

Source: Eurostat 

3 FI, PT and SE did not provide data for this indicator.  

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 3: Repartition of the number of victims per form of exploitation  

2.2. 

2.2.  Sexual exploitation 

Source: Eurostat 

The victims of sexual exploitation are primarily female (87%)4, of which 73% women and 
27% girls. In all Member States, female victims account for the majority of victims of sexual 
exploitation.  The  Member  States  registering  the  highest  numbers  of  female  victims  of 
sexual  exploitation are  Romania  (901), the Netherlands (878), Germany (786), Austria 
(435), Italy (429) and Spain (429).  

Over the reporting period, children accounted for 22% of victims of trafficking for sexual 
exploitation  (with  adults  accounting  for  78%.  The  Member  States  registering  the  highest 
number of child victims of  trafficking  for  sexual  exploitation  are Romania (477), Germany 
(140), and the Netherlands (104).  

The number of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation in the EU overall decreased 
from 2019 (3,833) to 2020 (3,037).  

4 Prevalence is calculated on known values. 

3 

 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 4: Number of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation per Member State, sex 
and age in 2019-20205 

2.3. 

2.3.  Labour exploitation 

Source: Eurostat 

Trafficking  for  labour  exploitation  or  forced  labour  is  the  second  main  form  of 
exploitation in the EU (28%). Labour exploitation includes domestic work, care activities or 
cleaning services.  

The  Member  States  registering  the  highest  numbers  of  victims  of  trafficking  for  labour 
exploitation are France (792), Italy (681), the Netherlands (660) and Poland (311). The most 
represented EU citizenships among registered victims are Romanian (493), Polish (267), and 
French (266).  

The  victims  of  trafficking  for  labour  exploitation  are  mainly  male  (66%6),  while  females 
amount to 34%.  

Children account for 3% of the reported victims for this form of exploitation.  

The number of labour exploitation victims in the EU in 2019 was 1786 and in 2020 1548. 
The numbers of victims over the broader reporting period suggest that there is an increase in 

5 FI, PT and SE did not provide data for this indicator.  
6 Prevalence is calculated on known values.  

4 

 
 
 
                                                           
victims of labour exploitation in 2019-2020, as compared to 2015 (900), 2016 (1047), 2017 
(1052), and 2018 (980).  

Figure 5: Number of victims of trafficking for labour exploitation per Member State, 
sex and age in 2019-20207 

2.4. 

2.4.  Other forms of exploitation 

Source: Eurostat 

Other forms of THB, excluding sexual and labour exploitation, account for  11%, which are 
1,455  cases  (in  2019  802  and  in  2020  653)  of  cases  where  the  form  of  exploitation  was 
indicated.  Forms  of  exploitation  falling  under  the  ‘other’  umbrella  term  include  criminal 
activities  (3%  of  all  cases  during  2019-2020),  forced  begging  (3%),  and  benefit  fraud  and 
removal of organs (both less than 1%). Cases with a form of exploitation marked as ‘other’ 
(i.e., not indicating any of the aforementioned cases) account for 5% of all cases during the 
reporting period.8 

7 EE, FI, PT and SE did not provide data for this indicator.  
8 For the remaining 10% of recorded victims of trafficking in human beings, the  reported form of exploitation 
was ‘unknown’ 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 6: Number of victims per citizenship and form of exploitation in EU and the 
main non-EU countries in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

  3. TRENDS IN THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAFFICKED 

3.1. 

3.1.  Victims  by  age  –  child  victims  of  trafficking  in  human 

beings 

In 2019-2020, child victims constituted over one-fifth of all registered victims in the EU 
(23%)  where  the  victim’s  age  group  was  known.  The  majority  of  child  victims  were 
female  (75%).  The  Member  States  with  the  highest  numbers  of  registered  child  victims 
where  the  age  group  was  known  were  France  (672),  Italy  (657),  Romania  (582),  and 
Germany  (419).  The  largest  proportion  of  child  victims  within  a  given  citizenship  was 
Maltese  (100%),  Greek  (75%),  German  (67%),  Italian  (63%),  Czech  (53%)  and  Finnish 
(51%). 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 7: Number of victims per Member State and age group in 2019-20209 

3.2. 

3.2.  Victims by sex 

Source: Eurostat 

More  than  half  of  all  the  victims  in  the  EU  were  female  (women  and  girls)  (63%)10, 
ranging  from  34%  in  Latvia  to  97%  in  Slovenia.  The  Member  States  with  the  highest 
percentage of male (men and boys) victims during this  period were  Latvia (66%), Portugal 
(61%),  and  Luxembourg  (57%).  The  Member  States  with  the  highest  percentage  of  female 
victims  were  Slovenia  (97%),  Bulgaria  (92%)  and  Ireland  (89%).  The  number  of  male 
victims equaled with the female victims in Belgium (50%) and Finland (50%). The Member 
States registering the most female victims were France (1,896), the Netherlands (1,234), Italy 
(1,099) and Romania (1,044). The Member States registering the most male victims were the 
Netherlands (1,063), Italy (1,099), France (802) and Germany (263).  

9 SE only provided unknown values for this indicator.  
10 63% Female, 33% male, 4% unknown 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 8: Number of victims per Member State and sex in 2019-2020 

3.3. 

3.3.  Victims by citizenship 

Source: Eurostat 

In  2019-2020,  53%  (7,330)  of  the  registered  victims  with  known  citizenship  were  EU 
citizens  and  43%  (5,979)  were  non-EU  citizens.  For  2%  (332)  of  cases,  the  victim’s 
citizenship  was  recorded  as  other  not  specified  and  for  2%  (199)  of  cases  as  unknown. 
Although the share of EU victims dropped slightly from 2019 to 2020 (3,716 to 3,614), 
the number dropped significantly for non-EU victims from 3,518 to 2,461. Such pattern 
is likely a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most represented citizenships 
of EU victims are Romanian (2,315), French (1,202), Italian (904) Bulgarian (553) and Polish 
(518). However, if one considers the number of victims proportionate to the population size, 
rather than the absolute number of victims, Romania (1 out of 16,781), Bulgaria (1 out of 
25,316), and Hungary (1 out of 59,242) are the most represented EU citizenships.  

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 9: Number of victims per Member State and citizenship in 2019-202011 

Source: Eurostat 

The  main  countries  of  citizenship  of  non-EU  victims  in  the  EU  were  Nigeria  (1,312), 
China  (309),  Moldova  (257),  and  Pakistan  (243).  However,  proportionate  to  population 
size,  Moldova  is  the  highest  non-EU  country  of  origin  in  2019-2020,  as  1  out  of  15,696 
Moldovans are victims of trafficking. This stands in stark comparison to the rates in Nigeria 
(1 out of 157,118) and in China (1 out of 4,658,005).  

Across the EU, approximately 37% of all registered victims were citizens of the country in 
which  they  are  registered.  The  countries  with  the  highest  rates  of  registering  their  own 
citizens are Estonia (100%), Hungary (99%), Bulgaria (99%), Romania (99%), and Slovakia 
(98%).  

11 SE did not provide data for this indicator and PL only provided unknown values. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 10: Number of victims per citizenship of EU27 and top 10 non-EU27, year and 
sex  

Source: Eurostat 

Source: Eurostat 

10 

 
 
 
 
  4. TRENDS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM INDICATORS RELATED TO THB 

Eurostat  collects  data  on  different  aspects  relating  to  suspected  individuals,  prosecuted 
individuals, and convicted individuals.  

4.1. 

4.1.  Individuals suspected of THB crimes 

The total number of individuals suspected of THB crimes (both EU and non-EU citizenships) 
in 2019-2020 is 15,214. EU citizens accounted for 62% (8,641) of all suspects during the 
reporting period.  

Member States with the highest number of nationals among those suspected of THB crimes 
were Italy (3,289), France (1,804), Romania (1,254), and Germany (459).  

The most frequent non-EU nationalities among suspects were Nigeria (1,195), China (628), 
Albania (483), and Pakistan (370).   

Figure 11: Number of suspects per citizenship of EU27 and top 10 non-EU27 and sex in 
2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

Where information on the sex is recorded, 74% of individuals suspected of THB crimes are 
male (11,234). Men accounted for the majority of individuals suspected of THB crimes in all 
but one Member State. The exception to the rule was Finland, where women accounted for 
53%  of  recorded  suspects.  In  further  three  Member  States  (Denmark  and  Czech  Republic), 
the proportion of women among suspects exceeded 40%.  

11 

 
 
 
With respect to various types of exploitation,  individuals were most frequently suspected 
in relation to sexual exploitation (65%), followed by labour (23%), and other (11%) types 
of exploitation.  

Figure 12: Repartition of suspects per form of exploitation in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 13: Number of suspects per Member State, year, and form of exploitation12  

Source: Eurostat 

4.2. 

4.2.  Individuals prosecuted for THB crimes 

The  total  number  of  individuals  prosecuted  of  THB  crimes  (both  EU  and  non-EU 
citizenships)  in  2019-2020  is  6,539.  EU  citizens  accounted  for  70%  of  all  prosecuted 
individuals during the reporting period.  

Member  States  with  the  highest  number  of nationals  among  those  prosecuted  of  THB 
crimes were France (1,620), Romania (956), Belgium (420), and Hungary (258).  

The most frequent non-EU nationalities among prosecuted were Nigeria (244), China (175), 
United Kingdom (77), and Morocco (26).  

12 AT, DK, EE, FI, LV and RO did not provide data for this indicator in 2019 and 2020. PL did not provide data 
for this indicator in 2019, while IE and NL did not provide data for this indicator in 2020.  

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 14: Number of prosecuted persons per citizenship of EU27 and top 10 non-EU27 
and sex in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

Where information on the sex was recorded, 73% of individuals prosecuted of THB crimes 
are  male  (4,513).  The  Member  States  with  the  highest  shares  of  women  among  those 
prosecuted were Czechia (53%). 

Sexual exploitation was the most common reason for prosecution, accounting for 70% of all 
recorded prosecuted persons. The second most common form of exploitation is forced labour, 
with representing a 19% share.  

Sexual  exploitation  was  the  most  frequent  form  of  exploitation  recorded  for  prosecuted 
individuals in most Member States (where the form was recorded as known) reaching 100% 
in Hungary, 86% in Finland, and 87% in Spain.  

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 15: Repartition of the number of prosecuted persons per form of exploitation in 
2019-2020 

Figure  16:  Number  of  prosecuted  persons  per  Member  State,  year  and  form  of 
exploitation13  

Source: Eurostat 

Source: Eurostat 

13 AT, BE, CY, CZ, DE, IT, LU, LV, NL, RO, SI and SK did not provide data for this indicator in 2019 and 
2020.  

15 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
4.3. 

4.3.  Individuals convicted of THB offenses 

The total number of individuals convicted of THB crimes (both EU and non-EU citizenships) 
in  2019-2020  is  3,019.  EU  citizens  accounted  for  more  than  half  (66%)  (1,839)  of  all 
convicted individuals with known country of citizenship during the reporting period.  

Member States with the highest numbers of citizens among convicted individuals were 
France (756), Romania (550), Germany (179), and Bulgaria (88).  

The most frequently recorded non-EU countries of citizenship among convicted individuals 
were Nigeria (213), China (103), and United Kingdom (59).  

Figure 17: Number of convicted persons per citizenship of EU27 and top 10 non-EU27 
and sex in 2019-2020 

Source: Eurostat 

In  line  with  the  preceding  sections,  the  overwhelming  majority  (74%)  of  individuals 
convicted  for  THB  crimes  in  the  EU  in  2019-2020  were  men.  The  only  Member  State 
that had a relatively higher share of convicted women is Czechia (67%).  

Sexual  exploitation  was  the  most  frequent  form  of  exploitation  recorded  for  convicted 
individuals in many Member States (where the form was recorded as known) reaching 100% 
in Finland, 94% in Spain, and 82% in Latvia.  The Member States with the lowest numbers of 
convictions for sexual exploitation are Slovenia (22%), Cyprus (28%), and Estonia (28%).  

16 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 18: Repartition of  the number  of  convicted persons  per  form of  exploitation  in 
2019-2020 

Figure  19:  Number  of  convicted  persons  per  Member  State,  year  and  form  of 
exploitation14  

Source: Eurostat 

Source: Eurostat 

14 AT, CZ, DK, HU, IE, IT, NL, RO and SE did not provide data for this indicator in 2019. AT, BE, CZ, DK, 
HU, IE, IT, NL, PL and RO did not provide data for this indicator in 2020. 

17 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
4.4. 

4.4.  Use of exploited services 

Data  on  the  criminal  offence  of  the  use  of  the  services  of  trafficking  victims,  as 
established in national law,  was collected for the third time. 11 Member States reported a 
total of 159 suspects, 46 prosecutions and 51 convictions in relation to the criminal offence of 
the  use  of  the  services  of  trafficking  victims,  which  is  significantly  lower  than  during  the 
previous reporting period15. 

15  During  2017-2018  eleven  Member  States  reported  a  total  of  170  suspects,  162  prosecutions  and  133 
convictions in relation to the criminal offence of the use of the services of trafficking victims. 

18