Share of children in child labour (15-17) by country
This indicator is based on harmonized definitions used by the ILO in the context of producing global estimates. Data may differ from nationally reported figures. Child labour includes: (a) children 5-11 years old who did at least one hour of economic activity and/or more than 21 hours of unpaid household services,...
What the numbers show
Share of children in child labour (15-17) is currently reported for 42 countries. The highest value is 31.64 in Mali; the lowest is 0.062 in Russian Federation.
The median across all reporting countries is 3.13, and the mean is 6.66.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 510.
Over the past decade 15 countries rose and 23 fell. The largest increase was in Egypt (up 575.7%), and the largest decrease in Georgia (down 94.9%).
Share of children in child labour: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 31.64 | 2020 | up 116.3% | rising |
| 2 | Cambodia | 25.8 | 2023 | down 10.0% | rising |
| 3 | Egypt | 22.18 | 2023 | up 575.7% | volatile |
| 4 | Honduras | 21.6 | 2023 | down 10.5% | falling |
| 5 | Peru | 20.42 | 2025 | up 81.9% | rising |
| 6 | Ecuador | 17.68 | 2025 | up 49.8% | rising |
| 7 | Switzerland | 16.47 | 2025 | up 29.5% | rising |
| 8 | Guatemala | 13.96 | 2022 | down 14.9% | rising |
| 9 | Pakistan | 13.12 | 2021 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 10 | Paraguay | 9.83 | 2025 | up 92.5% | falling |
| 11 | Austria | 9.15 | 2025 | down 14.2% | falling |
| 12 | El Salvador | 8.87 | 2025 | down 46.0% | falling |
| 13 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 8.65 | 2025 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 14 | Rwanda | 8.15 | 2021 | up 379.9% | rising |
| 15 | Colombia | 6.38 | 2022 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 16 | Angola | 5.54 | 2025 | up 30.7% | flat |
| 17 | Dominican Republic | 4.72 | 2025 | up 292.2% | rising |
| 18 | Iran, Islamic Republic of | 4.65 | 2024 | up 3.9% | falling |
| 19 | Ghana | 4.54 | 2024 | down 39.1% | rising |
| 20 | India | 3.94 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 21 | Thailand | 3.61 | 2023 | down 51.0% | falling |
| 22 | Panama | 2.64 | 2024 | down 61.6% | falling |
| 23 | Zambia | 2.25 | 2022 | — | rising |
| 24 | Uruguay | 1.85 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 25 | Botswana | 1.55 | 2024 | down 60.7% | volatile |
| 26 | Albania | 1.14 | 2024 | up 107.5% | volatile |
| 27 | Estonia | 1.1 | 2024 | up 122.0% | falling |
| 28 | Argentina | 0.972 | 2025 | down 18.0% | falling |
| 29 | United States of America | 0.958 | 2023 | up 27.1% | falling |
| 30 | Jordan | 0.952 | 2023 | down 79.1% | volatile |
| 31 | Republic of Moldova | 0.841 | 2025 | up 7.4% | volatile |
| 32 | Malta | 0.743 | 2023 | down 54.4% | falling |
| 33 | Hungary | 0.632 | 2024 | up 174.8% | volatile |
| 34 | Romania | 0.608 | 2024 | down 22.1% | volatile |
| 35 | Georgia | 0.554 | 2025 | down 94.9% | volatile |
| 36 | Chile | 0.441 | 2025 | down 94.6% | volatile |
| 37 | Costa Rica | 0.375 | 2022 | down 94.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Slovenia | 0.319 | 2024 | down 0.9% | falling |
| 39 | Belarus | 0.289 | 2022 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 40 | South Africa | 0.28 | 2024 | down 31.9% | volatile |
| 41 | Greece | 0.15 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 42 | Russian Federation | 0.062 | 2025 | down 39.2% | falling |
About this data
This indicator is based on harmonized definitions used by the ILO in the context of producing global estimates. Data may differ from nationally reported figures. Child labour includes: (a) children 5-11 years old who did at least one hour of economic activity and/or more than 21 hours of unpaid household services, (b) children 12-14 years old who did at least 14 hours of economic activity and/or more than 21 hours of unpaid household services, and (c) children 15-17 years old who did at least 43 hours of economic activity. For more information, refer to the Child Labour Statistics (CHILD) database description.