National wealth, immigration, and human trafficking in Europe

The goal of this study is to examine links between national wealth, immigration, and human trafficking. Panel data about European countries (2012–2022) are used. Higher GDP per capita raises immigration, and both immigration and GDP per capita are positively associated with trafficking victims (r = 0.37, p = 0.05; r ≈ 0.42, p = 0.03). A two stage least squares model, instrumenting immigration with GDP per capita, indicates that a 1% increase in immigration raises victims by 0.87%. Moreover, enforcement matters: a 1% rise in the conviction to suspect ratio in human trafficking lowers victims by 0.402%. Results highlight economic and demographic drivers of human trafficking and suggest that stronger criminal justice system and policy responses can mitigate negative effects in society.