Human trafficking victims (Our World) in United States

United States: Human trafficking victims (Our World) was 16,390 in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
16,390
Change on year
up 62.8%
World rank
2nd
of 135 countries
All-time high
16,390
in 2022
All-time low
303
in 2007
Years of data
16
2007–2022

Human trafficking victims in United States, 2007–2022

05.0k10.0k15.0k2007201420222007: 3032008: 3172009: 3802010: 5412011: 5642012: 4692013: 2.3k2014: 3.3k2015: 3.9k2016: 5.6k2017: 8.0k2018: 8.9k2019: 8.4k2020: 9.9k2021: 10.1k2022: 16.4k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

United States recorded 16,390 for human trafficking victims in 2022. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 62.8% on the previous year and up 3,394.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, human trafficking victims in United States peaked at 16,390 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 303, in 2007.

United States ranks 2nd of 135 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Human trafficking victims (Our World) in United States, year by year

Annual values for Human trafficking victims in United States, 2007 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2007 303 —
2008 317 +4.6%
2009 380 +19.9%
2010 541 +42.4%
2011 564 +4.3%
2012 469 -16.8%
2013 2,315 +393.6%
2014 3,308 +42.9%
2015 3,885 +17.4%
2016 5,582 +43.7%
2017 8,003 +43.4%
2018 8,913 +11.4%
2019 8,375 -6.0%
2020 9,854 +17.7%
2021 10,070 +2.2%
2022 16,390 +62.8%

United States compared with similar countries

  • United States's 16,390 is above the median for high income countries, which is 66, 248.3× the median. (51 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Human trafficking victims (Our World) in United States changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2013 +393.6% 469 2,315

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 333.33 303 380 3
2010s 4,196 469 8,913 10
2020s 12,105 9,854 16,390 3

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 1 United Kingdom 23,411 compare
  2. 3 India 6,043 compare
  3. 4 France 2,149 compare
  4. 5 Italy 2,116 compare

See the full ranking of 135 places →

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is human trafficking victims in United States?
Human trafficking victims in United States was 16,390 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest human trafficking victims recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 16,390 in 2022.
What is the lowest human trafficking victims recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 303 in 2007.
How does United States rank for human trafficking victims?
United States ranks 2nd out of 135 countries with data for 2022.
Is human trafficking victims rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is up 3,394.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Human trafficking victims. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Human trafficking victims in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 14 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/human-trafficking-victims/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Human trafficking victims
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
135 places, 1,697 data points, 2007–2025
Last refreshed