According to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery, fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021. Of these people, 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage. Almost one in eight of all those in forced labour are children and more than half of these are in commercial sexual exploitation. The report was jointly released by the International Labour Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration.
The number of people in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years. 10 million more people were in modern slavery in 2021 compared to 2016 global estimates. Women and children remain disproportionately vulnerable. Modern slavery also occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. 86% of forced labour cases are found in the private sector. 23% of all forced labour cases concern commercial sexual exploitation. Almost four out of five of those in forced commercial sexual exploitation are women or girls. 14% of those in forced labour are in State-imposed forced labour. Almost one in eight of all those in forced labour are children (3.3 million). More than half of these are in commercial sexual exploitation. Migrant workers are more than three times more likely to be in forced labour than non-migrant adult workers.
