Most Children in Child Labor are Working in Agriculture

By far the largest employer of children in child labor is agriculture. This is according to a report published jointly by the International Labor Organization and Unicef. As the following chart based on this data shows, this is particularly the case for younger children, with more than 75 percent of all 5-14 year olds in child labor worldwide employed in that sector in 2020 (latest available data). According to the report, the largest share of child labor takes place within the family unit.

Children employed in agriculture also accounted for the greatest share of 15-17 year olds, although the figure was at a lower 47.6 percent. Older teens were more likely to work in services than younger children. Services here includes domestic work and work in commerce, transport and motor vehicle repair, while industry covers work in construction, mining and manufacturing.

When looking at regional patterns, then agriculture is the biggest sector for childhood employment in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for over four out of every five children in child labor. In Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Europe and Northern America, the combined shares of services and industry surpass that of agriculture.

June 12 is World Day Against Child Labor, observed by the International Labor Organization.