There are now 138 million child laborers, down from an estimated 160 million in 2020, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) said in a joint report that was released to mark Thursday's World Day against Child Labor.

The drop represents good news for child welfare, as in 2000, the ILO estimated 245.5 million children were working. The almost 50% decrease is especially promising as the number of children has risen by 230 million over the same period.

The number of children, which the ILO defines as 5 to 17-year-olds, engaged in "hazardous work" — mostly in mining, industrial or agricultural sectors — has also decreased from 79 million in 2020 to 54 million in 2025.

However, the ILO says even optimistic estimates project it will be decades before child labor is completely eliminated.

Around 86.6 million child laborers — almost two-thirds of all child laborers — are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Nankali Maksud, regional advisor for child protection at UNICEF, told DW: "In terms of prevalence rate, it has been reduced. So we've gone from 24% to 22% between 2020 and 2024. But what we're challenged with in this region is the rapid population growth. So in absolute numbers, we haven't made much progress."

Particularly concerning for Maksud is that younger children (aged 5 to 11) make up the........

© Deutsche Welle