Share of children engaged in economic activity (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. This indicator refers to children ages 5-17 years old engaged in any form of market production and certain types of non-market production (principally...
What the numbers show
Share of children engaged in economic activity (15-17) is currently reported for 37 countries. The highest value is 48.61 in Bolivia; the lowest is 0.399 in South Africa.
The median across all reporting countries is 13.94, and the mean is 16.35.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 122.
Over the past decade 10 countries rose and 23 fell. The largest increase was in Hungary (up 223.1%), and the largest decrease in Chile (down 90.6%).
Share of children engaged in economic activity: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bolivia | 48.61 | 2025 | up 76.0% | rising |
| 2 | Switzerland | 41.2 | 2025 | up 5.4% | flat |
| 3 | Mali | 39.68 | 2020 | up 4.8% | rising |
| 4 | Cambodia | 37.01 | 2023 | down 20.9% | falling |
| 5 | Peru | 32.72 | 2025 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 6 | Guatemala | 31.71 | 2022 | down 25.6% | flat |
| 7 | Honduras | 31.69 | 2023 | down 1.0% | flat |
| 8 | Angola | 29.07 | 2025 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 9 | Paraguay | 28.55 | 2025 | down 36.5% | falling |
| 10 | Egypt | 27.31 | 2023 | up 85.8% | rising |
| 11 | Moldova | 25.13 | 2025 | down 34.4% | falling |
| 12 | Austria | 24.24 | 2025 | down 8.4% | falling |
| 13 | United States | 23.54 | 2023 | up 42.8% | falling |
| 14 | Pakistan | 23.14 | 2021 | down 16.6% | falling |
| 15 | Malta | 20.88 | 2024 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 16 | Ecuador | 19.71 | 2025 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 17 | Zambia | 17.64 | 2022 | — | falling |
| 18 | Ghana | 17.48 | 2024 | down 42.1% | falling |
| 19 | El Salvador | 13.94 | 2025 | down 39.3% | falling |
| 20 | Rwanda | 11.53 | 2021 | down 57.3% | falling |
| 21 | Colombia | 10.34 | 2022 | down 57.4% | falling |
| 22 | Dominican Republic | 8.98 | 2025 | down 66.2% | volatile |
| 23 | India | 7.15 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 24 | Georgia | 6.24 | 2025 | down 50.5% | falling |
| 25 | Thailand | 5.9 | 2023 | down 49.7% | falling |
| 26 | Estonia | 4.37 | 2024 | up 202.3% | rising |
| 27 | Slovenia | 4.13 | 2024 | down 37.2% | falling |
| 28 | Uruguay | 3.7 | 2025 | — | volatile |
| 29 | Chile | 1.58 | 2025 | down 90.6% | volatile |
| 30 | Russia | 1.43 | 2025 | down 23.3% | falling |
| 31 | Hungary | 1.37 | 2024 | up 223.1% | volatile |
| 32 | Jordan | 1.29 | 2023 | down 77.9% | volatile |
| 33 | Costa Rica | 1.19 | 2022 | down 89.4% | volatile |
| 34 | Romania | 1.07 | 2024 | down 73.1% | falling |
| 35 | Greece | 0.766 | 2025 | — | rising |
| 36 | Belarus | 0.444 | 2024 | down 8.3% | falling |
| 37 | South Africa | 0.399 | 2024 | down 23.1% | volatile |
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. This indicator refers to children ages 5-17 years old engaged in any form of market production and certain types of non-market production (principally that of goods such as agricultural produce for own use). This includes work in both the formal and informal economy, inside and outside family settings, for pay or profit (cash or in-kind, part-time or full-time) and domestic work outside the child's own household for an employer (paid or unpaid). For more information, refer to the Child Labour Statistics (CHILD) database description.