Every two years, the European Commission publishes a report on the progress made in the EU in combatting Trafficking in Human Beings. On 20 January, the fifth report was released, outlining the main anti-trafficking actions from 2021 to 2024 and providing an analysis of statistics for the period of 2021-2022. 

The report shows inter alia that:

• During the reporting period of 2021-2022, 17.248 victims of trafficking were registered in the EU.  This represents an increase by 20.5% compared to the 2019-2020 period (14.311).
   
• 46% of the registered victims were EU citizens and 54% were third country nationals. The top-five non-EU citizenships were Nigerian, Ukrainian, Moroccan, Colombian and Chinese.
   
• Trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation continued to be the most prevalent form of exploitation in the EU during 2021-2022 (49% of victims) although it shows a slightly diminishing trend (from 51%). The increase of Latin American women and transgender people, being trafficked for sexual exploitation was reported in more Member States than in the previous reporting period.
   
• High-risk sectors for labour exploitation include construction, agriculture, forestry, food processing, assembly lines, hospitality, retail, carwashes, beauty and cleaning services, transportation and housekeeping. The football sector has emerged as a special area for exploitation in Portugal and Belgium.
   
• Child victims constituted almost one-fifth of all registered victims in the EU (19%). The share of child victims in 2021-2022 decreased by 3% compared with the share in 2019-2020. The decreasing trend of the number of registered child victims may be linked to the increase in online sexual exploitation, where many victims remain hidden.

For further information, in particular regarding actions to address trafficking in human beings in the EU, please read the report on the progress made in the European Union in combating trafficking in human beings.