IOM Releases New Global Synthetic Dataset on Human Trafficking

The Global Synthetic Dataset is the largest publicly available individual-level data on human trafficking. The dataset is made possible by innovative technology to protect the safety and privacy of victims and survivors. Developed in partnership with Microsoft Research, this dataset provides in-depth information to accelerate evidence-based policy in the fight against human trafficking. The data are available on the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative (CTDC) platform – the first-ever global data portal on human trafficking. 

ACCESS THE DATASET ON CTDC 

The Global Synthetic Dataset provides critical information on the socio-demographic profiles of victims, types of exploitation, and the trafficking process, including means of control used on victims. This data, updated in 2025, represents 22 years of assistance and hotline data – with contributions from IOM, Polaris, A21, RecollectiV, and the Portuguese Observatory on Trafficking in Human Beings (OTSH). This dataset combines information about more than 222,000 victims and survivors of trafficking identified across 197 countries and territories from 2002 to 2023.

This is the fourth synthetic dataset derived from victims of trafficking case records. It accurately preserves the statistical properties of the original victim case records while guaranteeing differential privacy. Differential privacy was first developed by Microsoft Research in 2006 and today represents the gold standard in privacy protection.

The differential privacy approach to synthetic data generation provides quantifiable privacy guarantees against privacy attacks, even across multiple data releases. This technology has enabled CTDC to share more data than it did in the past and conduct more robust research while protecting privacy and civil liberties. 

Further information on the approach is available through the open-source software and documentation on differential privacy via GitHub. Please find the related dataset, codebook, and data dictionary on the CTDC website. We also encourage you to check out the FAQs page for more information about the data. 

This data release and supporting technology were made possible by the Tech Against Trafficking (TAT) 2019 Accelerator Program, in which IOM worked with Microsoft and other TAT partner companies to advance the data and technology foundations of the CTDC platform. 

This data release is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Netherlands through the Cooperation on Migration and Partnerships to Achieve Sustainable Solutions (COMPASS) programme. The contents are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Dutch MFA.