Médicos del Mundo has attended 365 people in Ibiza who were in contexts of prostitution during the first eight months of 2026, with 91% of those attended being women.

The figure was highlighted by the organisation in connection with the International Day Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons on September 23, as the charity also raised concerns about prostitution becoming increasingly difficult to detect on the island.

The organisation stresses that the figure does not mean that all 365 people are victims of human trafficking. They are people assisted by Médicos del Mundo because they are in contexts of prostitution, with trafficking representing only part of the situations encountered.

365 people attended through August

The 365 people were attended by Médicos del Mundo in Ibiza between January and the end of August 2026.

A separate report from the same week rounded the figure to around 370 people, but the organisation's figure reported in the most detailed interview is 365.

The number is significant because it was recorded before the end of the year, meaning the full 2026 total will only be known once the remaining months have been completed.

Most were women

Women represented approximately 91% of the people attended.

Médicos del Mundo's Ibiza psychologist Marta Martínez said the organisation normally works with women aged between 25 and 35, although the people they encounter include other profiles and Spanish nationals as well.

The figure therefore should not be interpreted as applying exclusively to migrant women, even though certain nationalities are particularly represented among those receiving support.

Colombian and Venezuelan women particularly represented

According to Martínez, Colombian and Venezuelan nationals make up a significant proportion of the women being attended in Ibiza.

The organisation says the people it encounters are often in highly vulnerable circumstances.

However, nationality alone does not establish whether an individual has been trafficked or exploited.

Prostitution is becoming harder to detect

One of the main concerns raised by Médicos del Mundo is the changing location of prostitution on the island.

According to the organisation, the activity increasingly takes place in less visible and more dispersed settings rather than only in locations where it can easily be identified.

Those settings can include private apartments, tourist accommodation, hotel rooms and boats.

The organisation says this makes it more difficult for support workers and authorities to identify people who may need assistance.

Short stays can make detection harder

Martínez also told local radio that some women who are being exploited may remain in Ibiza for only two or three weeks before being moved to other parts of mainland Spain.

She said this movement can make it harder for people to establish social networks or access support on the island.

This is one of the reasons Médicos del Mundo is looking at new methods of identifying and reaching people who may otherwise remain outside traditional support networks.

Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni among the areas identified

The organisation says Ibiza Town and Sant Antoni are among the areas where it has detected the highest number of cases involving people in prostitution.

At the same time, the organisation's comments stress that prostitution is no longer concentrated in a small number of easily identifiable locations.

The increasingly dispersed nature of the activity means that support work has to extend into different parts of the island and different types of accommodation and spaces.

Digital detection is becoming more important

Médicos del Mundo is also working on new methods of detection using digital channels.

The organisation says online activity and the movement of prostitution into private spaces can make traditional outreach more difficult.

Digital tools could therefore help identify patterns or locations that are less visible through conventional street-based work.

The aim is not simply to identify prostitution, but to reach people who may need information, healthcare or access to support services.

A distinction between prostitution and trafficking

The terminology is important.

Médicos del Mundo's figure covers people in contexts of prostitution who have received attention from the organisation.

That is not the same as saying that all 365 people were victims of trafficking.

The organisation itself makes that distinction, and the current Ibiza figures should therefore not be reported as “365 trafficking victims.”

Human trafficking involves additional elements and circumstances that have to be assessed in each individual case.

The issue was discussed in Ibiza on September 23

The figures were presented around the International Day Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons.

Médicos del Mundo organised an event at Ibiza's Casal d'Igualtat focusing on trafficking for sexual exploitation, the current situation in Ibiza and future lines of work.

The discussion brought together representatives from Médicos del Mundo, local government services and law enforcement.

The aim was to increase awareness and discuss ways of identifying and supporting people who may be vulnerable to exploitation.

Young people and social media

The organisation has also been focusing attention on the relationship between younger people, social networks and prostitution.

At a separate event at Ibiza's Casal d'Igualtat, psychologist Marta Martínez spoke about adolescence, social media and how potential risk situations can be identified.

Although Médicos del Mundo does not work directly with minors through its prostitution programme, the organisation says it is aware of cases involving young people who have become connected with prostitution and trafficking networks.

Martínez said families have an important role in creating an environment in which young people feel able to ask for help.

The stigma remains a barrier

Médicos del Mundo also points to the stigma surrounding prostitution as a continuing difficulty.

People may be reluctant to disclose their circumstances or seek assistance because of fear, shame or social pressure.

The organisation says reducing that stigma and making support easier to access are important parts of its work.

The challenge becomes greater when people are isolated from conventional social networks or moved frequently between locations.

A wider healthcare role

Médicos del Mundo's work in Ibiza extends beyond its prostitution programme.

The organisation also works with other vulnerable groups and focuses on access to healthcare.

Its Balearic Islands programme includes projects involving people in vulnerable situations, migrants and people experiencing homelessness, alongside work addressing barriers to accessing the healthcare system.

That broader experience allows the organisation to approach prostitution-related work through health, social support and referral to other services.

The picture remains incomplete

The 365 figure represents only people who have come into contact with Médicos del Mundo.

It should therefore not be treated as a count of everyone in prostitution on the island.

The organisation itself describes the number as only part of the wider picture, particularly because increasingly private and dispersed activity is more difficult to identify.

The total also does not establish how many people are being trafficked, since the two categories are not interchangeable.

What the 2026 figure shows

The latest data gives several clear points:

365 people in contexts of prostitution were attended in Ibiza during the first eight months of 2026.

91% were women.

The people attended commonly include women aged 25 to 35, although other profiles are also represented.

Colombian and Venezuelan nationals are particularly represented among the women attended.

Médicos del Mundo says prostitution is increasingly taking place in private and dispersed locations, including flats, hotels, tourist accommodation and boats.

Why the distinction matters

The latest figures highlight the scale of the work being carried out by Médicos del Mundo, but they need to be interpreted carefully.

365 people have received support in contexts of prostitution. That does not mean 365 trafficking cases.

Equally, the figure should not be interpreted as the total number of people involved in prostitution on Ibiza because it only counts people reached by the organisation.

The data is therefore best understood as an indicator of the people coming into contact with one specific support service.

Continuing the work in Ibiza

Médicos del Mundo says it will continue working on ways of identifying vulnerable people and improving access to support.

The organisation is paying particular attention to digital environments and to forms of prostitution that take place away from traditional, visible locations.

At the same time, its work continues to focus on healthcare, information, referral and support.

As Ibiza prepares for the final months of 2026, the latest figure of 365 people attended through August provides a current snapshot of the demand encountered by the organisation.

The full-year figure will only be known after December, but the latest data already shows why the organisation says identification and access to support remain important issues on the island.