The headline contains two truths

The latest joint estimates from ILO and UNICEF identify nearly 138 million children in child labour in 2024, including around 54 million in hazardous work. Compared with 2020, the total fell by more than 20 million. Since 2000 it has fallen from 246 million to 138 million.

That is substantial progress. It is also far from elimination. The international target to end child labour in all its forms by 2025 was missed, and the agencies estimate that progress would need to accelerate dramatically to close the remaining gap.

Children in child labour138mglobal estimate · 2024
Hazardous work54mhealth, safety or development at risk
Agriculture61%share of all child labour
Sub-Saharan Africa87mabout two-thirds of global total

Where children work

Agriculture accounts for 61% of global child labour, services for 27% and industry for 13%. These categories include very different realities—from work on family farms and in markets to mining and manufacturing. The legal definition is not “any activity by a child”; it concerns work that children are too young to perform or that harms their health, safety, development or schooling.

Regional progress is uneven

Asia and the Pacific recorded a large reduction from 49 million to 28 million children between 2020 and 2024, with prevalence falling from 6% to 3%. In Latin America and the Caribbean, prevalence was broadly unchanged while the total fell from roughly 8 million to 7 million.

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the centre of the global challenge: about 87 million children, with prevalence declining from 24% to 22%. Population growth, poverty, conflict and limited social protection mean that a lower percentage has not yet produced a meaningful reduction in the number affected.

Why national dashboard gaps remain

The global ILO–UNICEF estimate is based on harmonized national surveys and modelling. The simple World Bank country series connected to Humain Alert does not contain a recent comparable observation for every country. The global estimate must therefore not be copied into national profiles. Where a country value is absent or decades old, the profile says so.

What the evidence points toward

ILO and UNICEF emphasize social protection, quality education, decent work for adults and youth, child-protection systems, law enforcement and business accountability. The common thread is that families need viable alternatives; prohibition without income, schooling and protection can displace rather than solve the problem.

Progress should be acknowledged because it proves change is possible. The remaining 138 million children should prevent that progress from becoming complacency.

Primary sources and data

Evidence note: Sources were checked on 7 Sep 2026. Publication years differ because each institution follows its own release schedule. Humain Alert preserves those dates instead of presenting the series as simultaneous.