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In the Netherlands, sex work is a legal profession. The Ministry of Justice and Security is committed to creating an environment where sex workers can freely and safely practice their work. For this reason, it is important to have a clear understanding of the sex work industry. The latest study on the nature and size of the sex work industry dates back to 2021. However, in recent years, the sex work industry in the Netherlands has been undergoing changes, with sex work increasingly being offered through online advertising platforms. The 2021 study only partially considered online advertising platforms. The increased use of online advertising platforms also raises new questions about supervision, regulation, and the protection of sex workers.
To gain insight into 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 as of 2025, including online advertising platforms for sex work. The research must address the different types of sex work.
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?
First Results
On September 17, 2026, the first report of our study on the sex work advertising platform market was published, carried out 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 mapped, analyzed, and investigated sex work advertising platforms in the Netherlands, looking into misconduct and unwanted practices within this online market. We did not process any identifiable data of sex workers. Some of the findings include:- The number of visitors to sex work advertising platforms almost tripled between 2017 and 2021, but the growth appears to have stagnated since then.
- Two sex work advertising platforms account for more than 85% of all demand and supply.
- In April 2026, around 9,500 sex work advertisements were online daily.
- Since 2021, the share of advertisements for in-house services has decreased, while the share of advertisements for escort services has increased.
