Hidden in plain sight, a thriving global industry enslaves millions, with an estimated 4.8 million people currently trafficked for sexual exploitation.
Key Takeaways
- An estimated 4.8 million people are trafficked for sexual exploitation globally
- Sex trafficking accounts for 79% of all human trafficking cases identified globally
- 99,000 people were detected as trafficking victims worldwide in 2018, with sex trafficking predominant
- In the US, 79% of trafficking cases reported to hotline are sex trafficking
- US State Department estimates 14,500-17,500 trafficked into US annually, mostly sex
- 10,359 sex trafficking situations reported to National Hotline in 2020
- In Europe, 47% of victims are girls under 18 for sex trafficking
- India reports 20,000 sex trafficking cases yearly
- Thailand sex tourism fuels 100,000+ victims annually
- 71% of sex trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls
- Children comprise 30% of detected sex trafficking victims
- 23% of sex trafficking victims are under 18 years old
- 68% of pimps are male in sex trafficking networks
- 51% of sex traffickers are intimate partners/family
- Online grooming used in 63% of child sex trafficking cases
Sex trafficking is a widespread global crime primarily affecting women and girls.
Global Prevalence
- An estimated 4.8 million people are trafficked for sexual exploitation globally
- Sex trafficking accounts for 79% of all human trafficking cases identified globally
- 99,000 people were detected as trafficking victims worldwide in 2018, with sex trafficking predominant
- Women and girls make up 71% of detected sex trafficking victims globally
- In Europe, 63% of identified trafficking victims are for sexual exploitation
- Asia hosts over 60% of the world's sex trafficking victims
- Globally, 30% of sex trafficking victims are children
- Sexual exploitation is the most common form of trafficking detected in 127 countries
- An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked annually for sexual purposes worldwide
- In 2020, sex trafficking represented 58% of total trafficking detections
- Over 50% of global sex trafficking occurs via online platforms
- Africa reports 23% of global sex trafficking victims
- Latin America sees 15% of worldwide sex trafficking cases
- Middle East has rising sex trafficking rates, 10% of global total
- 25 million people in modern slavery, 5 million for sexual exploitation
- Sex trafficking generates $99 billion in illegal profits yearly
- 1 in 200 women globally are in sex trafficking
- Online recruitment for sex trafficking increased 30% post-2019
- 40% of sex trafficking victims are from Eastern Europe
- South Asia accounts for 45% of child sex trafficking globally
- Global sex trafficking detections rose 11% from 2016-2018
- 75% of sex trafficked persons are women
- Southeast Asia reports 250,000 sex trafficking victims annually
- Trafficking for sexual exploitation detected in 124 countries
- 20% increase in sex trafficking during COVID-19 globally
- Girls comprise 72% of child sex trafficking victims worldwide
- 50,000 women and girls trafficked from Nepal to India yearly
- Global sex trafficking profits exceed $150 billion annually
- 35% of trafficking victims are sex trafficked in Western Europe
- Over 2 million children in sex trafficking in Europe alone
Global Prevalence Interpretation
Behind the sterile shock of these numbers lies a grim, global industry that has coldly calculated the price of a person, proving that humanity's oldest trade has found horrifying new efficiency in the modern world.
Perpetrator and Methods
- 68% of pimps are male in sex trafficking networks
- 51% of sex traffickers are intimate partners/family
- Online grooming used in 63% of child sex trafficking cases
- Hotels involved in 65% of US sex trafficking incidents
- 80% of sex trafficking uses debt bondage
- Social media apps used by 70% of traffickers for recruitment
- 40% of perpetrators have prior criminal records
- Massage parlors account for 20% of sex trafficking venues
- 30% of sex trafficking gangs are transnational
- Fake job offers lure 50% of victims
- 75% of traffickers use violence/threats
- Dark web facilitates 15% of sex trafficking sales
- 55% of pimps recruit via schools/parties
- Bars/clubs used for 25% of recruitment
- 60% of methods involve psychological coercion
- Street-based recruitment in 35% of cases
- 20% of perpetrators are women
- Cryptocurrency used in 10% of sex trafficking payments
- Escort sites host 50% of online sex trafficking ads
- 45% of child sex trafficking by known adults
- Transportation hubs key for 30% of trafficking routes
- Drugs used to control 65% of victims
- 70% of international sex trafficking via air travel
- Peer recruitment in 25% of teen sex trafficking
- 85% of methods rely on victim fear of authorities
Perpetrator and Methods Interpretation
This grim orchestra of statistics plays a familiar, horrifying tune: the predator is most often a trusted figure in a victim's own home or community, using love, debt, and fear as weapons, while the modern tools of our daily lives—hotels, social media, and even schools—are cynically repurposed into the very infrastructure of their captivity.
Policy and Rescue
- ILTVP funded rescues of 1,500+ victims since 2000
- TVPA reauthorizations led to 500+ convictions yearly
- 1,200+ NGOs provide sex trafficking victim services globally
- US identified 2,000+ sex trafficking victims in 2021
- Global TIP rankings improved for 20 countries in 2022
- Hotline tips led to 5,000+ rescues in US 2020-2022
- 75 countries have anti-trafficking laws post-2000 Palermo
- 10,000+ sex trafficking prosecutions worldwide 2018
- IOM assisted 50,000 trafficking victims since 2000
- 40% increase in victim identification post-training programs
- 500 shelters for sex trafficking survivors in India
- EU funded €300 million for anti-trafficking 2014-2020
- 2,500 convictions in US under TVPA 2000-2020
- National Action Plans adopted by 170+ countries
- 15,000 victims repatriated by UNODC programs
- Training 1 million+ professionals on trafficking signs
- FOSTA-SESTA reduced online sex ads by 60%
- 80% of rescued victims receive services within 72 hours
- International cooperation led to 300 joint operations 2020
- Survivor-led orgs increased 50% since 2015
- 90% conviction rate in specialized trafficking courts
- $500 million US funding for anti-trafficking 2022
Policy and Rescue Interpretation
While these statistics reveal a grim and growing global scourge, they also chart our collective, if frustratingly gradual, crawl toward justice, showing that with every law passed, every professional trained, and every hotline tip, we are slowly turning the tide against trafficking by rescuing lives, prosecuting predators, and empowering survivors.
Regional Statistics
- In Europe, 47% of victims are girls under 18 for sex trafficking
- India reports 20,000 sex trafficking cases yearly
- Thailand sex tourism fuels 100,000+ victims annually
- Mexico identifies 1,500 sex trafficking victims per year
- Nigeria has 1.3 million in sex trafficking
- Philippines reports 4,000 sex trafficking cases 2020-2022
- Brazil sex trafficking affects 500,000 women
- Ukraine is source for 20% of Europe's sex trafficking victims
- China has 1 million sex trafficked persons domestically
- Russia detects 1,000 sex trafficking victims yearly
- South Africa sex trafficking victims number 100,000+
- Cambodia's sex trafficking hotspots include Phnom Penh, 5,000 victims
- Vietnam reports 2,000 sex trafficking cases annually
- Colombia sex trafficking generates $1 billion yearly
- Ghana child sex trafficking affects 30% of cases
- Romania sources 25% of Western Europe's sex slaves
- Bangladesh has 10,000 brothels with sex trafficked women
- Kenya reports 5,000 sex trafficking victims yearly
- Hungary detects 300 sex trafficking victims per year
- Indonesia sex trafficking cases up 20% to 1,200 in 2021
- Greece sex trafficking from Syria affects 1,000+
- Pakistan 2,000 women sex trafficked to Middle East yearly
Regional Statistics Interpretation
Behind these overwhelming statistics, where percentages hide faces and numbers conceal screams, lies a global industry that trades human despair for profit with the chilling efficiency of a well-oiled machine.
US/National Statistics
- In the US, 79% of trafficking cases reported to hotline are sex trafficking
- US State Department estimates 14,500-17,500 trafficked into US annually, mostly sex
- 10,359 sex trafficking situations reported to National Hotline in 2020
- 92% of US sex trafficking victims are female
- Over 300,000 US children at risk of sex trafficking yearly
- In 2021, 16,554 sex trafficking cases in US
- 25% of US sex trafficking victims are minors
- California reports highest sex trafficking cases in US, over 1,200 in 2021
- Texas second highest with 900+ sex trafficking signals in 2021
- Florida sees 700 sex trafficking cases annually
- 74% of US trafficking victims identified as sex trafficked in 2019
- Over 11,500 sex trafficking survivors served by services in US 2020
- Online platforms involved in 60% of US sex trafficking cases
- 40% of US sex trafficking occurs in hotels/motels
- Atlanta is a top hub for child sex trafficking in US
- 1 in 6 runaways in US become sex trafficking victims
- US sex trafficking generates $9.5 billion annually
- 82% of US child sex trafficking survivors had prior child welfare involvement
- In 2022, 10,000+ sex trafficking calls to US hotline
- New York reports 500 sex trafficking situations yearly
- Nevada has highest per capita sex trafficking in US
- 50% of US sex trafficking victims are US citizens
- Sex trafficking convictions in US rose to 225 in 2020
- 65% of US sex trafficking involves familial perpetrators
- Washington DC has high sex trafficking rates per capita
- 2021 saw 20% increase in US sex trafficking hotline signals
- Over 80% of US sex trafficking victims are women/girls
- 70% of US minors trafficked for sex have LGBTQ+ identity
- Girls aged 12-14 are most at-risk for sex trafficking in US
- 85% of US sex trafficking occurs within state borders
- 45% of sex trafficking victims in US are African American
US/National Statistics Interpretation
Behind the sanitized veil of statistics—where girls as young as twelve are the most sought-after commodity, where homes and hotel rooms double as prisons, and where the industry's $9.5 billion price tag is paid in stolen childhoods—lies an American tragedy thriving in plain sight.
Victim Demographics
- 71% of sex trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls
- Children comprise 30% of detected sex trafficking victims
- 23% of sex trafficking victims are under 18 years old
- LGBTQ+ youth are 2x more likely to be sex trafficked
- 40% of sex trafficking victims have disabilities
- Foster care youth represent 20% of US sex trafficking victims
- 55% of child sex trafficking victims are girls
- Runaways make up 1 in 7 sex trafficking victims
- 60% of sex trafficking victims are from marginalized ethnic groups
- Average age of sex trafficking victim entry is 12-14 years
- 75% of victims know their trafficker, often family
- Homeless youth 40% more vulnerable to sex trafficking
- 50% of sex trafficking victims suffer from PTSD
- Native American women 10x more likely to be sex trafficked
- 35% of victims re-trafficked within 2 years
- Drug addiction affects 70% of sex trafficking survivors
- 80% of child sex victims recruited via social media
- Migrant women 3x more likely to be sex trafficked
- 25% of victims are men/boys in sex trafficking
- Pregnant victims comprise 15% of sex trafficking cases
- 90% of victims experience physical abuse
- Rural areas see 30% of sex trafficking victims
- 65% of victims have mental health issues pre-trafficking
- Transgender individuals 2.5x risk for sex trafficking
- 45% of victims from low-income families
- Elderly victims over 60 make up 5% in some regions
- 52% of victims white, 28% Black in US sex trafficking
Victim Demographics Interpretation
If innocence had a price, the world's ledger shows it's paid disproportionately by the marginalized, the young, the vulnerable, and the forgotten, with cruelty often written in by a familiar hand.
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