2025 Trafficking in Persons Report:
A Global Effort to Combat Human Trafficking
IAWJ Summary
By Fall 2025 Legal Interns: Bethel Adewale / Joy Azu
Read the full report.
The 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, released by the U.S. Department of State, offers an in-depth layout of worldwide efforts in tackling human trafficking. This year’s report notes differences in last year's numbers with victim identifications and convictions, while at the same time putting focus on the need for secure legislative processes as it relates to prosecuting traffickers.
Overview
Human trafficking, or trafficking in persons, refers to a crime where traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex. More than 180 nations have ratified or adhered to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (link), displaying commitments to combatting the crime.
Tier Rankings
The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report evaluates government efforts to combat human trafficking globally and categorizes countries into four tiers based on their compliance with the minimum standards of the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
Tier 1
Countries in Tier 1 fully meet the TVPA’s minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. This does not mean trafficking is absent, but that the government demonstrates consistent and effective efforts to prevent trafficking, prosecute offenders, and protect victims. Examples in 2025 include the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.
Tier 2
Tier 2 countries do not fully meet the minimum standards but are making significant efforts to do so. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia fall within this category, including Kenya (2025), as they continue to improve legislative frameworks and inter-agency coordination despite resource or enforcement gaps.
Tier 2 Watch List
Countries on the Tier 2 Watch List are those that also do not fully meet the standards but have been placed under closer observation due to concerns such as high numbers of trafficking victims, minimal evidence of progress, or failure to provide adequate victim services. Continued lack of improvement may result in a downgrade to Tier 3 in subsequent reports.
Tier 3
Tier 3 represents countries that neither meet the minimum standards nor make significant efforts to do so. Governments in this category may face restrictions on certain forms of U.S. assistance. Examples often include states affected by conflict, authoritarian governance, or limited institutional capacity.
2025 Trends
The 2025 TIP Report records the highest ever convictions for labor trafficking by countries around the world. Victim identification numbers have made continued progress over the last two decades, but 2024 remains the highest ever reported number of total victims identified. Despite these trends, the imbalances between numbers in convictions and numbers in victim identification emphasizes the need for more legislative officials to prosecute traffickers effectively.
Whereas governments are expanding awareness campaigns and drafting comprehensive national action plans, most fall short in law enforcement outcomes and protection measures.
Key Quotes
“The gap between identification and conviction underscores the need for stronger investigative capacity and victim-centered prosecution.” — TIP 2025, Global Overview.
In 2025, the report recorded 115,000 victims identified globally, yet only about 10,500 convictions were secured — a disparity of nearly 90%.
Identification efforts have expanded, but prosecution remains weak due to limited investigative skills, lack of survivor cooperation (often because of inadequate protection), and cross-border complexities.
“Governments’ commitment to survivor inclusion marks a turning point in the global response but must translate into tangible protection.” — 2025 TIP Key Findings.
In 2025, 62% of reporting countries noted survivor participation in awareness or policy design — an improvement from 48% in 2024.
However, only 40% allocated funding for long-term survivor rehabilitation and reintegration, showing that survivor inclusion is more symbolic than structural.
Conclusion
While the 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report highlights commendable progress in global victim identification, new legislative reforms, and increased survivor engagement, several persistent challenges continue to undermine the effectiveness of anti-trafficking efforts. Chief among these is the wide disparity between victims identified and convictions secured, limited investigative and prosecutorial capacity, and insufficient cross-border collaboration.
Many governments face the added burden of porous borders, resource constraints, and inconsistent enforcement of existing laws. Moreover, survivor inclusion, though improving, often remains symbolic—rarely backed by long-term funding or protection frameworks. These gaps highlight the ongoing struggle to translate political commitment into measurable justice outcomes for victims.
To strengthen anti-trafficking efforts moving forward, governments and organizations should institutionalize survivor-centered prosecution and strengthen regional cooperation mechanisms. This includes investing in specialized training for investigators and prosecutors, establishing joint regional task forces, and funding survivor rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
By aligning prosecution with protection and fostering sustained collaboration across borders, states can close the conviction gap, dismantle transnational trafficking networks, and deliver a more humane and effective response to trafficking in persons.