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 10,627 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in 2018 - a 52% increase from 2018. Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2019 Nearly half (43%) of all potential victims of trafficking - 4,550 victims - were children aged 18 and under. Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2019 The United Kingdom is the most prominent country of origin for trafficked children – a total of 2,360 reported cases – followed by Vietnam (427), Eritrea (274), Albania (256), Sudan (220), Romania (109), Afghanistan (91), Nigeria (58), Iran (50), Eithiopia (47) and Iraq (46). Home Office, National Referral Mechanism Statistics: UK, End of Year Summary, 2019 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