1.78 million Bangladeshi children are in child labour — about as many as a decade ago

The 2022 National Child Labour Survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics counted 3.54 million working children aged 5–17. Not all of that work is illegal or harmful, but 1.78 million children were in child labour, and 1.07 million were in hazardous work — in workshops, construction, transport and other jobs that put their health and safety at risk.

1.07 million

Children in hazardous work in 2022, down about 17% from 1.28 million in 2013.

The fall in hazardous work is real progress. But total child labour edged up by about 4.5% over the decade, and hazardous child labour remains far from the government’s goal of eliminating it by 2025. Most working children live in rural areas, and keeping them in school — through stipends, school meals and enforcement — remains the most effective protection.

Source: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, National Child Labour Survey 2022.