Child labour statistics and research

Child labour remains a persistent problem in the world today. It is a complex phenomenon as not all work done by children can be regarded as child labour. A distinction must be made between child labour, on the one hand, and children’s activities considered part of a natural socialisation process, on the other hand. Children in child labour are those entering the labour market, or those taking on too much work and too many duties at too early an age.

Numbers on the extent, characteristics and determinants of child labour are provided by the Research and Evaluation Unit of the ILO’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch (FUNDAMENTALS). FUNDAMENTALS assists countries in the collection, documentation, processing and analysis of child labour statistics and provides manuals, tools and training materials accordingly.