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In the Netherlands, sex work is a legal profession. The Ministry of Justice and Security is committed to ensuring a sector in which sex workers can freely and safely carry out their work. For this reason, it is important to have insight into the sex work industry. The latest research on the nature and scope of the sex work industry dates back to 2021. However, the sex work industry in the Netherlands has been undergoing changes in recent years, with sex work increasingly being offered through online advertising platforms. In the 2021 research, online advertising platforms were only partially included. The increased use of online advertising platforms also raises new questions about supervision, regulation, and the protection of sex workers.
To gain an understanding of the current Dutch sex work industry, Dialogic is conducting research on behalf of the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) into the nature and scope of the Dutch (online) sex work industry. The aim of the research is to create an updated overview of the sex work industry in 2025, including online advertising platforms for sex work. The research should address the various types of sex work.
In order to map out the sex work industry in 2025, two main questions have been formulated:
- What is the nature and scope of sex work advertising platforms and the sex work offered on them?
- What is the nature and scope of licensed sex work?
Initial Findings
On 17th September 2026, the first report of our research on the market of sex work advertising platforms was published, conducted on behalf of the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC). To understand the nature and scope of sex work advertising platforms and the sex work offered on them, we have mapped and analysed sex work advertising platforms in the Netherlands and examined misconduct and unwanted practices within this online market. We did not process any identifiable data of sex workers. Some of the findings:- The number of visitors to sex work advertising platforms nearly tripled between 2017 and 2021, but the growth appears to have stagnated since then.
- Two sex work advertising platforms together account for more than 85% of all demand and supply.
- In April 2026, approximately 9,500 sex work advertisements were online daily.
- Since 2021, the share of advertisements for home-based work has decreased, while the share of ads for escort services has increased.
