Eurostat released its latest statistics on human trafficking in the EU, marking a break from the upward trend visible since 2018.
In 2024, 9,678 victims of human trafficking were registered across the EU, representing a 8% decrease compared to 2023. However, fluctuations in official figures should be interpreted with caution, as they often reflect changes in identification practices rather than real decreases in human trafficking.
Women and girls continue to form the group of vicims mostly reported, accounting for 63% of all registered victims.
The data further show an increase in prosecutions, with a 13% increase in convicted traffickers in 2024 (2,599 persons, compared to 2,309 in 2023). On the other hand, the number of suspected traffickers decreased by 6%, from 8 471 suspected persons in 2023 to 7 966 in 2024.
The 2024 statistics also confirm that while sexual exploitation remains the most commonly recorded form, accounting for 46% of cases, labour exploitation represents a comparable share at 37%, following a steady increase over the past six years. This trend reinforces longstanding concerns from civil society about exploitation in sectors such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, hospitality and logistics. Other exploitative purposes account for 16% of the cases, and include organ removal, forced criminality and forced begging. There is no mention however, of human trafficking cases for the exploitation of surrogy, of forced marriage, or of illegal adoption.
The majority of the registered victims (64%) were third-country nationals. In 11 Member States – Austria, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Greece, Ireland and Estonia –, more than 80% of registered victims were non-EU citizens.
The lack of safe and legal migration pathways, combined with restrictive residence regimes, increases vulnerability to exploitation and human trafficking. To enhance identification, Member States must ensure safe reporting mechanisms, effective firewalls, and unconditional access to assistance, regardless of residence or migration status.
At the same time, 28% of registered victims were nationals of the reporting country, confirming that trafficking is not only a cross-border crime but also a deeply domestic phenomenon.
Structural differences in data collection continue to undermine comparability. Several countries report data which includes data on presumed victims, while others only report formally identified victims. As Eurostat itself underlines, official statistics primarily reflect how authorities register and process cases, which does not always show the true prevalence of human trafficking.
La Strada International will publish a more detailed analysis next week, including a comparison with data from its most recent
Read also our analysis comparing the latest Eurostat data on human trafficking from 2024 and 2024 LSI data report: Reflecting on the 2024 Eurostat Human Trafficking Data