Child Labour

Child Labour- Facts and Figures in the world

Nearly 138 million children were engaged in child labour in 2024, including around 54 million in hazardous work likely to jeopardize their health, safety, or development, according to new estimates released on June 11, 2025, by the ILO and UNICEF.

The latest data show a total reduction of over 22 million children since 2020, reversing an alarming spike between 2016 and 2020. Despite this positive trend, the world has missed its target of eliminating child labour by 2025.

According to the data, agriculture remains the largest sector for child labour, accounting for 61 per cent of all cases, followed by services (27 per cent), like domestic work and selling goods in markets, and industry (13 per cent), including mining and manufacturing.

Asia and the Pacific achieved the most significant reduction in prevalence since 2020, with the child labour rate dropping from 5.6 per cent to 3.1 per cent (from 49 million to 28 million children). Latin America and the Caribbean achieved an 8 per cent relative reduction in prevalence and an 11 per cent decline in total numbers, the report notes. 

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry the heaviest burden, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all children in child labour – around 87 million. While prevalence fell from 23.9 to 21.5 per cent, the total number has remained stagnant against the backdrop of population growth. 

Boys are more likely than girls to be involved in child labour at every age, but when unpaid household chores of 21 hours or more per week are included, the gender gap reverses, the report notes.

Since 2000, child labour has almost halved, from 246 million to 138 million, yet current rates remain too slow, and the world has fallen short of reaching the 2025 global elimination target. To end it within the next five years, current rates of progress would need to be 11 times faster.

Source: The report, titled Child Labour: Global estimates 2024, trends and the road forward

Child Labour in Türkiye

The research called "Working Child Statistics" was conducted by Turkish Statistical Institute in the IV. Quarter of 2019 (October-November-December) with the Household Labour Force Survey for 5-17 age group children. According to this research, the number of children engaged in economic activities is 720 thousand persons and no 5-year-old child is observed among them. Employment rate which shows the proportion of working children in the 5-17 age group among children in the same age group is estimated 4.4%.

While 79.7% of working children are in the 15-17 age group, 15.9% are in the 12-14 age group and 4.4% are in the 5-11 age group. When examined by gender, it is seen that 70.6% of working children are male and 29.4% are female. While 65.7% of working children are attended an education, this rate is 65.6% for male and 66.1% for female.

When the reason of working for children engaged in economic activities are listed; "to help in household's economic activity" is the first place with 35.9%, and others are "to learn a profession and skills for a job" with 34.4%, "to contribute household income" with 23.2% and "to support him/herself needs" with 6.4%".

30.8% of working children take part in agriculture, 23.7% is in industry and 45.5% is in service sector. According to age groups; children working in the 5-14 age group gain weight in the agricultural sector with 64.1%, while children working in the 15-17 age group gain weight in the service sector with 51%.

63.3% of working children work as regular or casual employees, 36.2% of them work as unpaid family workers and 0.5% of them work as self-employed. According to the type of workplace, 66.0% of the working children is at regular/fixed workplaces, 30.4% of them work in the field/garden, 3.0% of them work in the mobile, irregular or marketplace, 0.5% of them work at home.

Publications

Current state of apprenticeships in Türkiye: Overview of relevant ILO instruments

Brochures

ILO’s Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Türkiye (2021-2025) 

Projects

Ongoing Projects

Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye

Elimination of the Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture

An Integrated Model for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye