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What countries still practice Child Labor?



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“Child is meant to Learn, not to Earn.”

It is the carefree aspect of childhood that is reminisced by people all around the world. When life gets too stressful, memories of our good old days cheer us up. Imagine, how would it have been, if those days were snatched away from us?

If you perceived that child labor is a medieval concept, you are mistaken. Numerous children around the world are still engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work. At times, these children are either too young to perform the task at hand, or they are involved in activities that are hazardous for their well-being. In fact, in the poorest countries of the world, one out of four children are engaged in labor work that could detriment their physical, mental, social or educational development. As of year 2017, African nations of Mali, Benin, Chad and Guinea-Bissau observed nearly 50% children between the age of 5 and 14 engaged in the evil practice.

Not every child is lucky enough to enjoy protection from family. According to International Labor Organization (ILO), extreme poverty is one of the leading reasons why poor families force their children into menial jobs instead of providing them with quality education.
History is also one of the leading cause for persistence of child labor practice. Some people have cultural beliefs that work builds one’s character and it is good to learn how to handle the household business at an early age. Similarly, some cultures also believe that women do not require a formal education, and it is appropriate for them to get into domestic service.


Numerous law-makers and voluntary organizations have been trying to bring an end to the atrocious practice since years, yet the statistics are still high.

The table below mentions the percentage of children aged 5 to 17 years engaged in child labor at by the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), as per 2010-2016 estimates: 

Country Child labor (%) Country Child labor (%)
Mali 55.8 Montenegro 12.5
Benin 52.5 Macedonia 12.5
Chad 51.5 Mexico 12.4
Guinea-Bissau 51.1 India 11.8
Somalia 49 Iran 11.4
Solomon Islands 47.8 Philippines 11.1
Cameroon 47 Laos 10.1
Zambia 40.6 Tajikistan 10
Malawi 39.3 Serbia 9.5
Burkina Faso 39.2 Myanmar 9.3
Democratic Republic of the Congo 38.4 Botswana 9
Mauritania 37.6 El Salvador 8.9
Nepal 37.4 Armenia 8.7
Sierra Leone 37.4 Morocco 8.3
Niger 30.5 Thailand 8.3
Afghanistan 29.4 Uruguay 7.9
Tanzania 28.8 Colombia 7.8
Central African Republic 28.5 Djibouti 7.7
Rwanda 28.5 Venezuela 7.7
Guinea 28.3 Swaziland 7.3
Togo 27.9 Egypt 7
Equatorial Guinea 27.8 Indonesia 6.9
Paraguay 27.6 Brazil 6.6
Ethiopia 27.4 Chile 6.6
Bolivia 26.4 Azerbaijan 6.5
Côte d’Ivoire 26.4 Cabo Verde 6.4
Burundi 26.3 Turkey 5.9
Sao Tome and Principe 26 Palestine 5.7
Kenya 25.9 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.3
Guatemala 25.8 Albania 5.1
Kyrgyzstan 25.8 Algeria 5
Sudan 24.9 Ecuador 4.9
Nigeria 24.7 Iraq 4.7
Haiti 24.4 Bahrain 4.6
Angola 23.4 Argentina 4.4
Congo 23.3 Bangladesh 4.3
Senegal 23 Georgia 4.2
Lesotho 22.9 Timor-Leste 4.2
Madagascar 22.9 Costa Rica 4.1
Yemen 22.7 Suriname 4.1
Mozambique 22.2 Syria 4
Comoros 22 Saint Lucia 3.9
Ghana 21.8 Portugal 3.4
Peru 21.8 Jamaica 3.3
Liberia 20.8 Belize 3.2
Cambodia 19.3 Bhutan 2.9
Gambia 19.2 Panama 2.5
Guyana 18.3 Ukraine 2.4
Mongolia 17.3 Kazakhstan 2.2
Vietnam 16.4 Tunisia 2.1
Moldova 16.3 Barbados 1.9
Uganda 16.3 Lebanon 1.9
Vanuatu 15.2 Jordan 1.7
Nicaragua 14.5 Belarus 1.4
Honduras 14.1 Sri Lanka 1
Gabon 13.4 Romania 0.9
Dominican Republic 12.8 Trinidad and Tobago 0.7
Turkmenistan 0.3

Related info:

What are the Ten Poorest Countries of the World
Democracy Index: What countries are democratically strong
Countries with Best Quality of Life
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