In 2014, the European Union asked the ONS to estimate the impact of prostitution on UK GDP. The EU needs such data because it requires each country to calculate gross domestic product in one way. The data resulting from the ONS research turned out to be really interesting because it was stated that the erotic industry contributed to the GDP growth by a whole 5.3 billion pounds.
How was the study carried out? It turns out that the main source of data was being sent to bullying homes, escort agencies, massage parlors and asking how many girls they have. Based on these statistics, it was estimated that there were over 7,000 prostitutes in London, moreover, police data regarding the fact that approximately 100 prostitutes can be found on the street at the same time were taken into account. Based on the number of prostitutes in London, the number of ladies in the rest of the country was estimated. It should be remembered that there are definitely more prostitutes in London than in other British cities, especially in districts like Paddington (they often advertise under the slogan: paddington escort).
What data was obtained in the ONS report? Well, the number of prostitutes was estimated at around 60,000. Apparently, each of the ladies has about 25 clients a week. It’s really a lot because it would have to serve 3-4 clients a day (including weekends!). In addition, the study assumed that each girl works for 52 weeks a year. This is amazing because you can expect that the work mode looks a little differently, i.e. most customers are served on weekends.
The average price per visit is 67 pounds, which is interesting, it did not increase very strongly since 2004 when the average price was estimated at 55 pounds. According to some opinions, this amount may be underestimated, as many women, apart from the direct sale of sexual services, may offer services via the Internet in the form of sales of video films, photos or used underwear.
In addition, the result of 5.3 billion pounds may be underestimated due to the omission of male prostitutes, which according to estimates in the UK is quite a lot. Some sources say that by adding to women’s prostitution also male prostitution, the erotic industry contributes to GDP growth of over 8 billion pounds.