Brussels – For every million inhabitants in the European Union, there are 22 victims of human trafficking. In 2024, according to research by Eurostat, there were 9,678 people. The figure is in contrast (-8 per cent) to the last four years, which were marked by a significant increase in the phenomenon. In just over four years, the number of cases rose from 6,000 in 2019 to over 10,000 in 2023. Despite the slight decrease in 2024, the figure remains significant.
Women most affected
Those most affected are women and girls, who account for 63 per cent of the total. One of the reasons for this sad record is the persistence of sexual exploitation: about 46 per cent of reported cases involve this form of abuse.
Forced labour: Italy among the worst offenders
Another worrying phenomenon is the increase in trafficking for forced labour. In 2019, this figure stood at around 20 per cent. By 2024, it had reached 40 per cent.
Italy is a sad protagonist of this phenomenon. In 2024, 632 cases of labour exploitation were reported to the Italian authorities, slightly less than in France (752), but much higher than in Germany (171) and Spain (246).
Very often, traffickers do not pay for the crimes they commit. For 2024, Eurostat reports 7,966 suspected traffickers reported across the European Union, but only around 2,600 were actually convicted.
There were 9 678 registered victims of human trafficking in 2024 in the EU.
Among the victims whose form of exploitation was reported:
4 219 were trafficked for sexual exploitation (46% of all victims)
3 391 for forced labour (37%)https://t.co/ypDoljLSsC pic.twitter.com/1agHkT7ehG
— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) 29 January 2026
English version by the Translation Service of WithubMany EU citizens among the victims
The crime of human trafficking does not necessarily involve crossing a border. For this reason, many people become victims within their own country of origin.
This type of exploitation is more likely in areas such as Bulgaria, where 99 per cent of victims are Bulgarian nationals, or in Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. This statistic is rooted in Eastern Europe, given the still numerous cases of sexual exploitation.
The trend is reversed in countries such as Malta, Italy, Spain, and Denmark, where most victims come from non-EU countries. In this case, forms of labour exploitation are more widespread.
