1. Global Estimates on Child Labour (2000-2012)

2. 168 million children are in child labour
Key statistics for 2012
168 million children are in child labour
More than half, 85 million, are in hazardous work

4. Regional Estimates
The largest number of child labourers is found in the Asia-Pacific region, where the reduction observed was also the largest.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the region with the highest incidence (more than one in five) and remains a region of great concern.
In Latin America, numbers (and incidence) remain low but persistent, especially in hazardous work.
See also the Regional Trends lower down.
The situation in Latin America is rather stagnant, and needs attention especially on hazardous work (slightly increased in number and incidence, – see Table 3)

5. Regional Trends - Absolute numbers
Number of children in child labour, 5-17 years, by region,
[Figure 12]
Results concerning regional trends in child labour are limited to the period due to data limitations in the global estimates prior to (Earlier “regional trends” only covered 5-14y “working” children, and not in “child labour”)
Child labour among children aged 5-17 years declined in both absolute and relative terms in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa regions during the period. Asia-Pacific registered by far the largest decline in the number of child labourers, from 114 million in 2008 to 78 million in The number of child labourers also decreased in Sub-Saharan Africa (by 6 million), and modestly in Latin America and the Caribbean (by 1.6 million).
Note: figures for MENA are given in the regional estimates for 2012, but not in the 2008 round, therefore it does not show in this “trend” analysis.

6. More progress for girls
The number of girls in child labour declined more than that of boys in the period :
40 per cent reduction for girls
25 per cent for boys.
Gender-specific trends in child labour:
Progress against child labour during the period extended to both male and female children. The fall in female child labour was particularly pronounced – in the period 2000 – 2012 there was a reduction of 40 per cent in the number of female child labourers as compared to 25 per cent for males. The decline in child labour among girls aged 5-17 years was consistent across the 12-year period and totaled 41.5 million in absolute terms and 6.3 percentage points in relative terms. Child labour among boys in the same age range fell by 32.4 million and 4.4 percentage points, although this overall decline masked a slight rise over the period.
Progress in reducing hazardous work during the period extended to both male and female children. Hazardous work among girls aged 5-17 years declined by more than half in both absolute and relative terms, from 74.8 million in 2000 to 30.3 million in 2012 (Figure 19a), and from 10 per cent in 2000 to four per cent in 2012 (Figure 19b). The reduction among boys was smaller but nonetheless also very significant. There were 40.7 million fewer boys in hazardous work in 2012 than in 2000; the percentage of boys in hazardous work was almost six percentage points lower in 2012 compared to 2000.

7. Child Labour by sector
Distribution of child labourers by economic sector, 5-17 years age group, 2012 (%)
[Figure 8 of the Report]
Agriculture remains by far the most important sector, accounting for 59 percent of all those in child labour and over 98 million children in absolute terms. There appears to have been a relative increase of child labour in services in recent years: the share of total child labourers in services rose more than one quarter, from 26 percent in 2008 to 32 percent in 2012 (with 54 million child labourers in the services sector, of which 11.5 million are in domestic work) while 12 million are found in industry in 2002.

8. By Status in Employment
Distribution of child labourers by status in employment, years age group (%)
[Figure 9 of the Report]
• The composition of child labour by status in employment largely remains unchanged (over two-thirds of child labourers are unpaid family workers, while 22.5 % are in paid employment) indicating only a small shift towards self-employment (5% to 8 %) between 2008 and 2012.

9. THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
Inter-related and mutually reinforcing goals,
with a network of related targets

10. Target 8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers , and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
2025 target was set following the Brasilia Global Conference in 2013