Child labour has risen for the first time in 20 years. COVID-19 will make things worse

Jun 24, 2021

A child makes bricks at a brick-making factory in La Paz Centro town, about 62 km (39 miles) west of Managua August 20, 2013. Eficiencia Energetica en Ladrilleras Artesanales de America Latina (EELA), reported that Nicaraguan brick makers burn 47,869 metric tons of fire wood, which produces 65,874 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. The country has 467 brick makers located mostly on the west coast of Nicaragua according to local media. REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas (NICARAGUA - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - GM1E98L0L7W01

160 million children across the world are currently child labourers. Image: REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

Zharina Arnaldo

Senior Writer, Formative Content

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This shows that 160 million children worldwide were in child labour at the start of 2020

Half of the children in child labour are performing hazardous work. Image: International Labour Organization

A graph showing there has been an increase in child labour in sub-Saharan Africa

There are currently more children in child labour in Africa than the rest of the world combined. Image: International Labour Organization

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This chart shows that global progress against child labour has stalled since 2016

The number of children facing child labour increased again in 2020, following a steady decrease. Image: International Labour Organization

A graph showing that the number of children in child labour could rise to 46 million if immediate action isn’t taken

The pandemic means that 9 million more children are at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022. Image: International Labour Organization

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