Country rankings

Child Labor by Country

South Sudan has the highest Total Child Labor in 2023 (48.0%), followed by Ethiopia (45.0%) and Burkina Faso (42.0%). Saint Lucia has the lowest (1%).

Law104 countries · 4 metricsUpdated Sep 23, 2024Original page
2 sources
91 of 235 countries
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Total Child Labor, 2023

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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Ranking

Highest first: the first 15 and last 5 of 91 countries.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
14.0%
Middle half 4% – 22.5%
Average
15.2%
91 countries
Highest
48.0%
South Sudan
Lowest
1%
Saint Lucia

Biggest changes · 2022 → 2023

84 countries have a value in both years.

Largest increases

Largest decreases

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

91 countries · # = rank by Total Child Labor
#
1South Sudan48.0%50.0%47.0%MICS 2010, UNICEF and ILO calculations
2Ethiopia45.0%51.0%39.0%National CLS 2015, UNICEF and ILO calculations
3Burkina Faso42.0%43.0%40.0%DHS 2021, UNICEF and ILO calculations
4Cameroon39.0%40.0%38.0%MICS 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
4Chad39.0%39.0%40.0%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
6Madagascar37.0%38.0%35.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
7Haiti36.0%44.0%26.0%DHS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
8Niger34.0%34.0%35.0%DHS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
9Nigeria32.0%33.0%30.0%MICS 2021
10Burundi31.0%30.0%32.0%DHS 2016-17, UNICEF and ILO calculations
11Zambia30.0%28.0%32.0%Labour Force Survey 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
11Zimbabwe30.0%28.0%32.0%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
13Togo29.0%29.0%29.0%MICS 2017, UNICEF and ILO calculations
14Uganda28.0%28.0%27.0%DHS 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
14Somalia28.0%29.0%27.0%MICS 2019-20, UNICEF and ILO calculations
14Laos28.0%27.0%29.0%MICS 2017, UNICEF and ILO calculations
14Liberia28.0%26.0%29.0%DHS 2019-20, UNICEF and ILO calculations
18Yemen27.0%28.0%26.0%DHS 2013, UNICEF and ILO calculations
18Central African Republic27.0%25.0%29.0%MICS 2018-19, UNICEF and ILO calculations
20Sierra Leone26.0%25.0%27.0%DHS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
21Sudan24.0%26.0%23.0%MICS 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
21Guinea24.0%24.0%25.0%MICS 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
23Mali23.0%23.0%23.0%EMOP 2020, UNICEF and ILO calculations
24Nepal22.0%20.0%23.0%MICS 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
24Kyrgyzstan22.0%25.0%19.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
26Tanzania21.0%20.0%22.0%Tanzania Child Labour Survey 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
27Ghana20.0%19.0%22.0%MICS 2017-18, UNICEF and ILO calculations
28Afghanistan19.0%20.0%19.0%MICS 2022-23, UNICEF and ILO calculations
28Angola19.0%17.0%20.0%DHS 2015-16, UNICEF and ILO calculations
28Senegal19.0%19.0%19.0%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
31Paraguay18.0%20.0%13.0%MICS 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
32Gambia17.0%17.0%17.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
32Guinea-Bissau17.0%18.0%16.0%MICS 2018-19, UNICEF and ILO calculations
32Fiji17.0%20.0%14.0%MICS 2021
32Sao Tome and Principe17.0%18.0%16.0%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
32Kiribati17.0%19.0%15.0%MICS 2018-19, UNICEF and ILO calculations
37Vanuatu16.0%16.0%15.0%MICS 2021
38DR Congo15.0%13.0%17.0%MICS 2017-18, UNICEF and ILO calculations
38Peru15.0%14.0%15.0%CLS (Encuesta Trabajo Infantil) 2015, UNICEF and ILO calculations
38Ivory Coast15.0%14.0%16.0%DHS 2021, UNICEF and ILO calculations
38Honduras15.0%18.0%13.0%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
38Mongolia15.0%16.0%13.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Malawi14.0%14.0%14.0%MICS 2019-20, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Rwanda14.0%14.0%15.0%DHS 2014-15, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Bolivia14.0%14.0%13.0%ENNA 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Republic of the Congo14.0%13.0%15.0%MICS 2014-15, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Lesotho14.0%15.0%13.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
43Eswatini14.0%13.0%14.0%MICS 2021-22, UNICEF and ILO calculations
49Cambodia13.0%12.0%14.0%LFS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
50Gabon12.0%13.0%11.0%DHS 2019-21, UNICEF and ILO calculations
50Suriname12.0%12.0%11.0%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
52Pakistan11.0%13.0%10.0%LFS 2017-18, UNICEF and ILO calculations
52Solomon Islands11.0%11.0%10.0%MICS 2021
54Vietnam10.0%12.0%8%MICS 2014, UNICEF and ILO calculations
54Myanmar10.0%10.0%10.0%LFS 2015, UNICEF and ILO calculations
56Comoros9%9%10.0%MICS 2022, UNICEF and ILO calculations
57Syria8%9%7%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
57Montenegro8%9%7%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
59Bangladesh7%9%5%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
59Colombia7%5%10.0%GEIH 2022, UNICEF and ILO calculations
59El Salvador7%7%7%Encuesta de Hogares de Propósitos Múltiples (EHPM) 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
62Chile6%7%5%Youth Activity Survey (Encuesta de Actividades de Nino, Ninas y Adolescentes) 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
62Guyana6%7%6%MICS 2019-20, UNICEF and ILO calculations
64Mexico5%6%3%ENTI 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
64Iraq5%5%4%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
64Turkmenistan5%6%5%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
64Serbia5%6%4%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Egypt4%4%3%EFHS 2021, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Philippines4%4%4%LFS 2021-22, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Ukraine4%5%4%MICS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Uzbekistan4%4%3%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68North Korea4%5%4%MICS 2017, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Dominican Republic4%5%3%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Belarus4%5%3%MICS 2019, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Costa Rica4%4%3%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Armenia4%5%3%CLS 2015, UNICEF and ILO calculations
68Bhutan4%3%4%MICS 2010, UNICEF and ILO calculations
78Algeria3%3%2%MICS 2018-19, UNICEF and ILO calculations
78Jamaica3%3%2%Jamaica Youth Activity Survey 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
78Albania3%4%3%CLS 2010, UNICEF and ILO calculations
78North Macedonia3%4%2%MICS 2018-19, UNICEF and ILO calculations
78Belize3%4%3%CAS 2013, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Brazil2%2%1%PNADCCL 2016, ILO Harmonized Microdata
83Argentina2%2%2%EANNA 2016-17, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Tunisia2%2%1%MICS 2018, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Jordan2%2%1%CLS 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Palestine2%2%1%Labour Force Survey 2021, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Panama2%3%1%Encuesta Trabajo Infantil (ETI) 2016, UNICEF and ILO calculations
83Georgia2%2%1%CLS 2015, UNICEF and ILO calculations
90Barbados1%2%1%MICS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations
90Saint Lucia1%1%1%MICS 2012, UNICEF and ILO calculations

What correlates with Total Child Labor (2023)?

Pearson r against 1,417 other country metrics sharing at least 55 countries. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Total Child Labor tend to score higher on these

  1. % of Pop. in Multidimensional PovertyPoverty Rate by Country
    r = +0.76 · very strong · n = 77
    Plot
  2. Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) ScorePoverty Rate by Country
    r = +0.75 · very strong · n = 76
    Plot
  3. Global Hunger IndexGlobal Hunger Index by Country
    r = +0.73 · very strong · n = 83
    Plot
  4. Crude Birth Rate (UN)Birth Rate by Country
    r = +0.73 · very strong · n = 90
    Plot
  5. Crude Birth Rate (CIA)Birth Rate by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 91
    Plot
  6. Infant Deaths per 1,000 BirthsHealth Indicators by Country (World Bank)
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 91
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Total Child Labor tend to score lower on these

  1. Internet PenetrationInternet Penetration by Country
    r = −0.80 · very strong · n = 81
    Plot
  2. % of Population with Access to Basic WaterCountries Without Clean Water
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 91
    Plot
  3. Water & SanitationSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 86
    Plot
  4. Basic NeedsSocial Progress Index by Country
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 86
    Plot
  5. Human Development IndexStandard of Living by Country
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 90
    Plot
  6. % of Population with Access to Safely Managed WaterCountries Without Clean Water
    r = −0.79 · very strong · n = 60
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Total Child Labor?
South Sudan has the highest Total Child Labor in 2023, at 48.0%, followed by Ethiopia (45.0%) and Burkina Faso (42.0%).
Which country has the lowest Total Child Labor?
Saint Lucia has the lowest Total Child Labor in 2023, at 1%.
What is the median Total Child Labor across countries?
The median is 14.0% across the 91 countries with data in 2023.
Where does this child labor by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Percentage of children aged 5-17 years engaged in child labour - Unicef; Child Labor - Unicef.

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