Germany’s Federal Interior Ministry has released new figures on human trafficking and exploitation. According to a report from t-online from September 11, 2026, 958 affected individuals were identified in the past year. The basis is a letter from the ministry to Bundestag member Cem Ince (Die Linke).
Compared over a decade, this is a significant increase: in 2015, authorities registered 469 affected individuals, in 2016 it was 656. Since 2021, the number has been at least 800 every year. The majority of those affected are female, with a large portion linked to forced prostitution. The ministry itself points out that the dark figure in this area is large — the statistics only reflect what authorities actually identify, not the full extent.
The second finding is more troubling. The share of those affected who were referred to youth welfare services or specialist counseling centers was around 23 percent in the last two years. In previous years it was 27 to 35 percent. So: more identified cases, but proportionally fewer people who then actually reach counseling. According to t-online, Ince calls the figures „an alarm signal for victim protection