What Are Child Labor Statistics?

Child labor statistics can be found through the United Nations, UNICEF and through the International Labour Organization. Here are some of the most staggering statistics around this devastating global issue:
  • 160 million children worldwide are involved in some form of child labor[1]
  • Of those, more boys than girls are affected in every age group[2]
  • The agricultural sector employs the most children[3]
  • 79 million of the children in labor are in dangerous conditions[4]
  • Sub-Saharan Africa has had the largest increase since 2016 with an additional 16 million children[5]
  • 7.2 million children are engaged in forms of domestic work that equate to child labor[6]
What these statistics don’t show are the children in human trafficking, prostitution or pornography. These children are largely hidden from view, so it’s likely the numbers are higher than can be accurately collected.

Many different situations lead to children working. It can start simply enough where a family needs extra help earning money, as millions of families live at or below the poverty level. It’s when helping out turns into what the International Labour Organization describes as, “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.”[7]

Are they missing school because of the work? Are they working so many hours that they are losing sleep? Are they injured because of their work? There are millions of children who work more hours and in more dangerous situations than adults.[8]


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