SDG indicator 8.7.1: Proportion of children engaged in economic activity (15-17) by country
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. Estimates on economic activity among children aged 5-17 refer to: (a) children 5–11 years old who, during the reference week, did at least one hour of economic activity, (b)...
What the numbers show
SDG indicator 8.7.1: Proportion of children engaged in economic activity (15-17) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 31.57 in Mali; the lowest is 0.016 in Russia.
The median across all reporting countries is 1.31, and the mean is 3.87.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 1,973.
Over the past decade 13 countries rose and 23 fell. The largest increase was in Dominican Republic (up 139.4%), and the largest decrease in Chile (down 87.8%).
SDG indicator 8.7.1: Proportion of children engaged in economic: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mali | 31.57 | 2020 | up 124.1% | rising |
| 2 | Cambodia | 22.36 | 2023 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 3 | Honduras | 13.29 | 2023 | up 35.8% | rising |
| 4 | Guatemala | 12.65 | 2022 | down 21.0% | rising |
| 5 | Pakistan | 11.02 | 2021 | down 12.0% | falling |
| 6 | Paraguay | 7.93 | 2025 | up 55.2% | flat |
| 7 | Egypt | 7.09 | 2023 | up 116.1% | falling |
| 8 | Angola | 4.43 | 2025 | up 4.3% | falling |
| 9 | Iran | 4.32 | 2024 | up 28.0% | falling |
| 10 | Ghana | 4.24 | 2024 | down 4.4% | rising |
| 11 | Bolivia | 3.5 | 2025 | down 59.2% | falling |
| 12 | Peru | 3.49 | 2025 | down 66.4% | volatile |
| 13 | Rwanda | 3.44 | 2021 | up 102.7% | rising |
| 14 | El Salvador | 3.25 | 2025 | down 45.0% | falling |
| 15 | Dominican Republic | 2.88 | 2025 | up 139.4% | volatile |
| 16 | India | 2.7 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 17 | Colombia | 2.59 | 2022 | down 58.1% | falling |
| 18 | Thailand | 2.36 | 2023 | down 56.2% | falling |
| 19 | Malta | 1.54 | 2022 | up 49.5% | rising |
| 20 | Switzerland | 1.47 | 2025 | up 64.0% | falling |
| 21 | Botswana | 1.16 | 2023 | down 70.3% | volatile |
| 22 | Zambia | 1.08 | 2022 | — | rising |
| 23 | Jordan | 0.691 | 2023 | down 77.6% | volatile |
| 24 | Ecuador | 0.642 | 2025 | down 63.3% | volatile |
| 25 | Albania | 0.618 | 2024 | up 86.1% | falling |
| 26 | Argentina | 0.6 | 2025 | down 9.5% | falling |
| 27 | Moldova | 0.576 | 2025 | down 17.0% | flat |
| 28 | Slovenia | 0.56 | 2011 | down 23.4% | falling |
| 29 | United States | 0.413 | 2023 | up 7.3% | flat |
| 30 | Panama | 0.383 | 2024 | down 78.2% | volatile |
| 31 | Costa Rica | 0.375 | 2022 | down 85.9% | volatile |
| 32 | Chile | 0.363 | 2025 | down 87.8% | volatile |
| 33 | Georgia | 0.236 | 2025 | down 66.0% | volatile |
| 34 | Austria | 0.211 | 2025 | down 68.5% | falling |
| 35 | South Africa | 0.205 | 2024 | down 32.1% | falling |
| 36 | Greece | 0.15 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 37 | Romania | 0.132 | 2024 | down 38.3% | volatile |
| 38 | Hungary | 0.092 | 2019 | up 8.2% | volatile |
| 39 | Uruguay | 0.069 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 40 | Russia | 0.016 | 2025 | down 55.6% | falling |
About this data
Data may differ from nationally reported figures and the Global SDG Indicators Database due to differences in sources and/or reference years. Estimates on economic activity among children aged 5-17 refer to: (a) children 5–11 years old who, during the reference week, did at least one hour of economic activity, (b) children 12–14 years old who, during the reference week, did at least 14 hours of economic activity, (c) children 15–17 years old who, during the reference week, did at least 43 hours of economic activity. For more information, refer to the Labour Market-related SDG Indicators (ILOSDG) database description.