Results from the first quarter (January to March) of 2026 show similar figures from the previous quarter referrals to the National Referral Mechanism and the Duty to Notify process. However, overall the trend continues to increase from previous years. Significantly, the number of UK victims continues to make up the highest proportion of referrals. Key results from the Home Office offical statistics are:

• a total of 6,003 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office from January to March 2026, a figure similar to the previous quarter (6,017) but a 13% increase compared to the period January to March 2025 (5,294)
• 74% (4,451) were sent to the Single Competent Authority (SCA) for consideration and 26% (1,552) to the Immigration Enforcement Competent Authority (IECA)
• potential victims from the UK (24%; 1,435), Eritrea (11%; 654) and Somalia (8%; 503) were the most frequently referred nationalities
• referrals for UK nationals from January to March were the highest in a single quarter since the NRM began
• January to March 2026 saw the highest total number of referrals reporting exploitation exclusively in the UK in a single quarter since the NRM began (2,448)
• a total of 5,990 reasonable grounds and 5,680 conclusive grounds decisions were issued between January and March 2026; of these, 65% (3,876) of reasonable grounds and 68% (3,846) of conclusive grounds decisions were positive
• there were 4,726 cases awaiting a decision at the end of March 2026, a decrease of 18% from the end of December 2025 (5,758) and of 84% from the peak recorded at the end of 2022 (29,275)
• the average (median) age of cases awaiting a conclusive grounds decision at the end of March 2026 was 53 days, compared to 76 days at the end of December 2025 and 678 days at the peak in June 2024
• the Home Office received 1,628 reports of adult potential victims via the DtN process between January and March 2026, representing a reduction of 7% compared to the previous quarter (1,748), but an increase of 1% compared to the same period in 2025 (1,609)

See the full Home Office report for offical statistics here.