Global Statistics

• Approximately 27.6 million people were living in situations of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation on any given day in 2021.

• About 3.5 out of every 1,000 people worldwide are victims of human trafficking.

• 77% of trafficking victims are exploited through forced labor,

• 23% are exploited through commercial sexual exploitation.

• Human trafficking generates an estimated $236 billion in illegal profits every year, making it one of the world's most profitable criminal enterprises.

• Criminal organizations earn an average of nearly $10,000 per victim annually through forced labor, with much higher profits from sexual exploitation.

Victim Demographics

• Adult women account for approximately 39% of detected trafficking victims worldwide.

• Girls account for 22%.

• Men account for 23%.

• Boys account for 16%.

• Children represent approximately 38% of all detected trafficking victims worldwide.

United States Statistics

• Human trafficking has been identified in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories.

• In 2024, the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline received:

  • 32,309 calls, texts, emails, and online messages ("signals")

  • Reports involving 11,999 potential trafficking cases

  • Approximately 21,865 potential victims

• Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has documented more than 82,000 human trafficking situations reported across the United States.

Types of Trafficking Reported in the U.S.

Among potential trafficking cases identified through the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2023:

• 58% involved sex trafficking.

• 16% involved labor trafficking.

• 11% involved both labor and sex trafficking.

• 15% could not be classified.

Risk Factors

Individuals at increased risk include:

• Children and adolescents

• Runaway and homeless youth

• Individuals with prior abuse or neglect

• People with substance use disorders

• Individuals with mental illness

• Foster youth

• Undocumented immigrants

• Refugees and migrants

• Individuals experiencing poverty or housing instability

• LGBTQ+ youth

Important Educational Point

One of the biggest misconceptions is that trafficking always involves kidnapping. In reality, most victims know their trafficker, who may be a family member, intimate partner, employer, or someone who gains the victim's trust before exploiting them.

Trafficking is defined by exploitation through force, fraud, or coercion (or any commercial sex involving a minor), not by transportation across state or national borders.