Children in hazardous work (15-17) by country
This indicator is based on harmonized definitions used by the ILO in the context of producing global estimates. Data may differ from nationally reported figures. Children refer to persons ages 5-17 years old. Hazardous work is measured on the basis of a list of hazardous industries and occupations, excessive...
What the numbers show
Children in hazardous work (15-17) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 2,533 in India; the lowest is 0.169 in Malta.
The median across all reporting countries is 19.6, and the mean is 164.87.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 14,991.
Over the past decade 12 countries rose and 23 fell. The largest increase was in Estonia (up 210.7%), and the largest decrease in Chile (down 95.0%).
Children in hazardous work: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 2,533 | 2025 | β | rising |
| 2 | Pakistan | 1,683 | 2021 | up 5.9% | flat |
| 3 | Peru | 401.2 | 2025 | up 83.2% | rising |
| 4 | Mali | 296.38 | 2020 | up 94.0% | rising |
| 5 | Cambodia | 237.13 | 2023 | down 19.1% | rising |
| 6 | Ecuador | 197.08 | 2025 | up 66.5% | rising |
| 7 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 190.76 | 2024 | up 24.2% | falling |
| 8 | Colombia | 159.97 | 2022 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 9 | Angola | 154.18 | 2025 | up 25.8% | flat |
| 10 | Guatemala | 141.17 | 2022 | down 23.8% | rising |
| 11 | Honduras | 108.49 | 2023 | down 34.0% | falling |
| 12 | United States | 88.41 | 2023 | up 32.2% | falling |
| 13 | Rwanda | 78.8 | 2021 | β | falling |
| 14 | Thailand | 58.48 | 2023 | down 54.0% | falling |
| 15 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 48.64 | 2025 | down 29.8% | falling |
| 16 | Switzerland | 44.07 | 2025 | up 36.2% | rising |
| 17 | El Salvador | 26.34 | 2025 | down 62.5% | falling |
| 18 | Austria | 25.21 | 2025 | down 12.5% | falling |
| 19 | Dominican Republic | 24.72 | 2025 | down 24.9% | falling |
| 20 | Zambia | 24.05 | 2022 | β | rising |
| 21 | Paraguay | 15.14 | 2025 | down 39.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Argentina | 13.41 | 2025 | down 14.9% | flat |
| 23 | South Africa | 8.93 | 2024 | down 29.8% | volatile |
| 24 | Jordan | 6.44 | 2023 | down 82.0% | volatile |
| 25 | Panama | 5.9 | 2024 | down 59.0% | falling |
| 26 | Romania | 3.93 | 2024 | down 23.5% | volatile |
| 27 | Chile | 3.39 | 2025 | down 95.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Russian Federation | 3.33 | 2025 | down 22.1% | falling |
| 29 | Uruguay | 2.67 | 2025 | β | volatile |
| 30 | Botswana | 2.04 | 2024 | down 52.9% | falling |
| 31 | Hungary | 1.82 | 2024 | up 161.5% | volatile |
| 32 | Albania | 1.04 | 2024 | up 27.0% | volatile |
| 33 | Belarus | 0.93 | 2022 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 34 | Costa Rica | 0.878 | 2022 | down 94.9% | volatile |
| 35 | Georgia | 0.809 | 2025 | down 94.5% | volatile |
| 36 | Republic of Moldova | 0.741 | 2025 | down 9.3% | volatile |
| 37 | Greece | 0.621 | 2025 | β | rising |
| 38 | Estonia | 0.522 | 2024 | up 210.7% | volatile |
| 39 | Slovenia | 0.195 | 2024 | up 9.6% | volatile |
| 40 | Malta | 0.169 | 2023 | down 58.3% | falling |
About this data
This indicator is based on harmonized definitions used by the ILO in the context of producing global estimates. Data may differ from nationally reported figures. Children refer to persons ages 5-17 years old. Hazardous work is measured on the basis of a list of hazardous industries and occupations, excessive working hours performed for 43 or more hours per week, and hazardous working conditions (such as night work). Data disaggregated by economic activity are provided according to the latest version of the International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities (ISIC) available for that year. Data may have been regrouped from national classifications, which may not be strictly compatible with ISIC. For more information, refer to the Child Labour Statistics (CHILD) database description.