Facts About Child Labor

Learn the facts about child labor how it affects children and their families.

•  One in six children 5 to 14 years old — about 16% of all children in this age group — is involved in child labor in developing countries.

 

 

•  In the least developed countries, 30% of all children are engaged in child labor.

 

 

•  Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.

 

 

•  An estimated 1.2 million children — both boys and girls — are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.

 

 

•  The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Saharan Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work.