The issues Child trafficking, exploitation and modern slavery Child trafficking statistics Global trafficking statistics Worldwide, 40.3 million men, women and children were victims of modern slavery on any day in 2016. Walk Free Foundation, Global Slavery Index, 2018 1 in 4 victims of modern slavery in 2016 were children — a total of 10.1 million child victims. International Labour Organisation, Walk Free Foundation and International Organisation for Migration, Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage, 2017 UK trafficking statistics 10,613 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in 2020 — consistent with the number identified in 2019 (10,616).* Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020*This is likely due to the impact of the pandemic on victim identification. While the number of potential adult victims decreased in 2020, the number of potential child victims increased. Nearly half (47%) of all potential victims of trafficking - 4,946 victims - were exploited as children; a nearly 10% increase on the previous year. Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020 The United Kingdom is the most prominent country of origin for trafficked children – a total of 2,874 reported cases – followed by Vietnam (246 children), Sudan (163 children), Albania (160 children), Romania (138 children) and Eritrea (132 children). Children from Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Iran also made up significant numbers of those identified. Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2020 A quarter of all trafficked children go missing from local authority care. ECPAT UK and Missing People, Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, 2018 Each missing child has on average 7.2 missing incidents in a single year. ECPAT UK and Missing People, Still in Harm's Way: An update report on trafficked and unaccompanied children going missing from care in the UK, 2018 Manage Cookie Preferences