A new report in the UK warns that exploitation in the UK is on the rise. Experts say rising cost of living, growing debt and insecure employment are creating ideal conditions for labor abuse. On top of that, new technology allows criminal networks to use digital tools to recruit, control, and exploit people at an exponentially greater scale. The Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, Eleanor Lyons, said the issue of modern slavery in the UK is now “greater than ever” in scale. 

Record referrals reveal growing scale 

The numbers don’t lie: in 2025, 23,411 potential modern slavery survivors were referred to the UK’s National Referral Mechanism (NRM). That’s a rise of more than 20% in one year. It’s also the highest figure since records began in 2009. And, contrary to popular belief, UK nationals accounted for the largest share of referrals at 22% (5,110 people). They were followed by Eritrean nationals at 13% (3,083) and Vietnamese nationals at 9% (1,998). 

Lyons told The Independent: 

Behind these numbers are real people being abused in ways most of us would struggle to imagine, whether it’s women forced into the sex trade, children coerced into drug gangs, or workers trapped in brutal conditions with no way out, often living in absolute fear. 

The survivors referred through the NRM are affected by a range of abuses. These include forced labor, criminal exploitation, trafficking, and sexual exploitation. Most faced economic insecurity and, just to survive, accepted unsafe, informal, or exploitative work. The report also points to global conflict and immigration/visa-based exploitation as an emerging risk. In addition, reproductive exploitation and organ harvesting are also trending higher. 

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