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 68 percent of all 5-11 year olds in child labor worldwide employed in that sector in 2024 (latest available data). According to the report, the largest share of child labor takes place within the family unit and on smallholder farms.

Children employed in agriculture also accounted for the greatest share of 15-17 year olds, although the figure was at a lower 41 percent. Older teens were more likely to work in services than younger children. Services here include domestic work in third-party households and work in small-scale commerce, alongside other informal service work, while industry covers work in construction, mining and manufacturing. As children grow older, child labor tends to diverge along gender lines, with boys increasingly found in industry while girls are more likely to be in services.

When looking at regional patterns, then agriculture is the biggest sector for childhood employment in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for seven out of every ten children in child labor. In Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Eastern and South Eastern Asia, services account for over one third of child labor. In Central and Southern Asia, slightly more than one in four children in child labour is in industry, which is twice the global average, with a similar share in services.

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