The number of people living in modern slavery reached an estimated 50 million in 2021, marking a significant increase since 2016, according to a new report published Monday by the UN’s labor agency.
The big picture: Overlapping crises — from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change to armed conflicts — have caused “unprecedented disruption to employment and education” and increased extreme poverty, unsafe migration and gender-based violence, leading to a heightened risk of modern slavery, according to the report.
Be smart: The International Labour Organization report defines modern slavery as being “comprised of two principal components — forced labour and forced marriage.”
By the numbers: More than 9 million more people are living in modern slavery in 2021 than in 2016, per the report.
- The most recent figures consist of 27.6 million people — including 3.3 million children — enduring forced labor and 22 million people in forced marriage.
