Over the past 20 years, the number of children involved in labour worldwide has fallen by more than 100 million—from 240 million to 138 million. This is a major achievement, especially given that the world’s child population grew by 230 million over the same period.
Despite a temporary increase in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of working children returned to a downward path. Key factors included measures to support education, public information, and efforts to counter exploitation.
Although the goal of eliminating child labour by 2025 has not yet been reached, and around 54 million children are still engaged in hazardous working conditions, the latest data provide grounds for cautious optimism: even amid difficult circumstances—ranging from the pandemic to economic instability—it is possible to make real progress.
