UNICEF and the ILO released new global estimates showing a decline in child labour between 2020 and 2024. The majority of child labour cases continue to be focused in the agriculture sector and Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for nearly two-thirds of all cases. Conflict, climate shocks, and poverty are key risk drivers.
On 12 June 2025, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) released a joint report titled Child Labour: Global Estimates 2024. The report provides updated global data and analysis on child labour among children aged 5 to 17, tracking trends over the 2020–2024 period. The findings signal a return to progress after several years of stagnation or reversal.
The report presents global and regional statistics, trend analysis, and sector-level distribution of child labour, including prevalence rates, age and gender breakdowns, and the proportion of children engaged in hazardous work. However, it does not include country-level analysis or sub-sector analysis.
Key findings
- Global prevalence has declined. An estimated 138 million children are in child labour, accounting for almost 8% of all children globally. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of children in child labour declined by over 20 million, and those in hazardous work fell by 25 million. Prevalence decreased by nearly 2% points over the same period.
- Progress has been recorded across all regions, with varying outcomes. Asia and the Pacific nearly halved child labour prevalence, while absolute numbers fell by 43%. In Latin America and the Caribbean, prevalence declined by 8% and absolute numbers by 11%. Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 10% decline in child labour prevalence since 2020, returning to 2012 levels. However, due to population growth, the total number of children in child labour in the region remained unchanged.
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for the largest share globally. The region has 87 million children in child labour—nearly two-thirds of the global total—with a prevalence of 21%, the highest worldwide.
- Agriculture accounts for the overwhelming majority of child labour cases. Globally, 61% of child labour is in agriculture, mostly on family farms and in subsistence production. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 70% of children in child labour are in agriculture.
- Half of all children in child labour are engaged in own-use production work such as subsistence farming, firewood collection, and water retrieval. Younger and rural children are disproportionately represented in these activities.
- Children aged 5 to 11 comprise the majority of child labour. Globally, 57% of children in child labour are aged 5 to 11. In Sub-Saharan Africa, more than two-thirds of child labourers are under age 12. Boys are overrepresented at all ages, with 9% of boys and 7% of girls aged 5 to 17 engaged in child labour.
- Conflict and climate change are key risk drivers. Child labour prevalence in conflict-affected areas is 21%, more than four times higher than in non-conflict contexts. The report also links climate change to increased child labour, citing poverty, agricultural disruption, and weather-related shocks. Climate change is particularly a risk for children working in agriculture, who face elevated risks from heat stress, wildfires, vector-borne diseases, and pesticide exposure.