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According to the International Labour Organization and UNICEF’s 2024 Global Estimates on Child Labour, about 138 million children are forced into labour all over the world, Africa accounting for 63%.
The International Labour Organization report indicates that sub-Saharan Africa has 87 million of the more than 100 million child workers that live in the region. It is home to nearly two-thirds of the world’s child laborers.
Despite progress over the past twenty years, the report warns that various countries are losing momentum in achieving their target to eliminate child labour in all its forms by this year, 2025. With almost half of the year gone, this almost certainly won’t be achieved.
In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, the child labour force has diminished from 23.9% in 2020 to 21.5% in 2024. However, with the population still increasing and paper policies being distributed to communities, the number is not budging. Literally millions of children remain unable to go to school and are forced to work instead.
From farms and fishing boats to mines and domestic chores, girls and boys toil in hard – at times deadly – jobs that steal their playtime and dreams. The report notes that worldwide 54 million children are caught in this web, putting their health, strength, and future on the line.
Child labour is disturbingly prevalent across various sectors. The report indicates that 61% of the children work in agriculture, mostly on small family farms or in fishing. 27% are in services, including street vending, housework, and restaurant work. Around 13% are forced to work in mining, construction, and manufacturing industries usually under very harsh conditions.
In Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, reports have confirmed many children work on cocoa farms. They carry heavy objects and are constantly exposed to farm chemicals. In some parts of Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, children work in mining pits and dump sites collecting recyclables for sale. They continuously face dangerous conditions and earn little to no money.
Recent years have seen a slowdown in progress. Child labour numbers fell by over 100 million from 2000 to 2020. But from 2020 to 2024, the decline is on a drastically slower trajectory. The COVID-19 outbreak, wars, rising prices, and less money for schools and social programs have all played a part in this slowdown.
