27.6M
people in forced labour
Global estimate for 2021, including 6.3 million in forced commercial sexual exploitation.
ILO · Global Estimates, 2022
Small in stature. Boundless in heart.
Small Stature.
Big Heart.
Every person deserves a life of freedom.
A humanitarian campaign and research initiative standing against human trafficking—with compassion, credible evidence, and a commitment to human dignity.
A global issue. A shared responsibility.
The heart of our mission
Dignity is not a privilege.
It is a human right.
We believe that the size of a person never defines the size of their impact. Small Stature Big Heart brings together awareness, research, and compassion to help build a world where no one is bought, sold, or exploited.
Our focus is simple: make the truth visible, put people before statistics, and connect those who need help with those who can provide it.
Small actions. Meaningful change.Understand the reality
Behind every number, a human life.
38%
of detected victims are children
Children accounted for over one third of trafficking victims detected globally in 2022.
UNODC · Global Report, 202425%
increase in detected victims
More trafficking victims were detected in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
UNODC · Global Report, 2024An important distinction: ILO figures estimate forced labour prevalence; UNODC figures describe trafficking victims detected by authorities, not all victims worldwide. Detection trends do not directly measure prevalence.
Where the numbers are largest
A world map of the evidence.
National estimates of people living in modern slavery on any given day. The darker the shade, the larger the number of people.
Under 500,000500,000 to 1 million1 to 2 million2 to 6 millionOver 6 millionNo official estimate shown
Modelled national estimates for 2021. Modern slavery here covers forced labour and forced marriage, so it is a wider measure than forced labour alone.
Start here
Choose a country
Hover or tap a shaded country to see its figure, the year it was measured, and the source behind it. Only countries with an official estimate are shaded.
50 million
people were living in modern slavery in 2021 — 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage.
ILO, Walk Free and IOM · Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (2022)See every figure as a list
| Country | Estimate | Year |
|---|---|---|
| India | 11.05 million | 2021 |
| China | 5.77 million | 2021 |
| North Korea | 2.70 million | 2021 |
| Pakistan | 2.35 million | 2021 |
| Russia | 1.90 million | 2021 |
| Indonesia | 1.83 million | 2021 |
| Nigeria | 1.61 million | 2021 |
| Bangladesh | 1.16 million | 2021 |
| Brazil | 1.05 million | 2021 |
| Philippines | 859,000 | 2021 |
| Mexico | 850,000 | 2021 |
| Saudi Arabia | 740,000 | 2021 |
| Ethiopia | 727,000 | 2021 |
| Myanmar | 657,000 | 2021 |
| Egypt | 442,000 | 2021 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 407,000 | 2021 |
| Eritrea | 320,000 | 2021 |
These are modelled estimates built from national household surveys, not counts of people identified by authorities. Countries without a survey are left unshaded, so an unshaded country is missing data, not free of exploitation.
Children in focus
Childhood should never be a job.
Child labour keeps children out of classrooms and in fields, factories, and streets. These three countries show how different the picture can be—and why honest, well-sourced numbers matter.
India
10.1M
children aged 5–14 were working (Census 2011)
- That is 3.9% of India’s 259.6 million children in this age group.
- Child labour fell by 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011, though the decline slowed in urban areas.
- More than 42.7 million children were out of school at the same time.
Bangladesh
1.78M
children aged 5–17 in child labour (survey year 2022)
- A further 1.76 million children were working but not classified as child labour, out of 3.54 million working children.
- 1.07 million children were in hazardous child labour that endangers their health or safety.
- Bangladesh has expanded schooling and regulation for two decades, but is not on track to eradicate child labour by the SDG target.
China
7.7%
of children aged 10–15 were working (research estimate for 2010)
- No recent official national estimates are published, so researchers rely on survey-based studies.
- About 90% of working children combined economic activity with schooling, and rural children were far more likely to work.
- National law prohibits hazardous work for workers under 18, but independent measurement remains limited.
138 million children were in child labour worldwide in 2024, including 54 million in hazardous work, according to the joint ILO–UNICEF global estimates.
Asia and the Pacific saw the greatest progress: prevalence halved and the number of children in child labour fell 43% between 2020 and 2024.
ILO–UNICEF · Global Estimates of Child Labour 2024An important note on comparability: these countries measure child labour differently—through a national census, a dedicated national survey, and independent research respectively—and the reference years differ. The figures are not directly comparable; each describes its own source and year.
Safety & support
You are not alone.
Help is within reach.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing trafficking, you deserve support. Choose your region to find a place to start.
Use a device you trust, if possible. Quick exit opens a neutral website but does not erase browsing history.
Specialist support
National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888Support, safety planning, and connections to local services.
You can also text HELP to 233733.
In immediate danger?
Call 911 for emergency services if it is safe to do so.
Do not confront a suspected trafficker.
Compassion into action
You don’t have to be big to make a difference.
Start with understanding
Explore the evidence. Understand how exploitation happens and challenge the myths that keep it hidden.
Explore the researchBring someone into the conversation
Share verified information, not sensational stories. Help awareness travel further, with dignity at its center.
Stand alongside those who help
Find specialist organizations working in your region and explore the support they need.
Find an organizationDonate
Every gift helps a woman be believed the first time.
Donations to It’s My Fault It’s Not My Fault™ are made by bank transfer. UK donors: use the sort code and account number. International donors: use the IBAN and SWIFT.
- Account name
- MISS NICOLE MEYER
- Bank
- Barclays Bank UK
- Sort code
- 20-10-53
- Account number
- 03056082
- IBAN (international)
- GB33 BUKB 2010 5303 0560 82
- SWIFT / BIC
- BUKBGB22
Grounded in evidence
Credible sources.
Responsible storytelling.
Our starting point is published research—not assumptions. Read the original reports behind the figures.
International Labour Organization · 2022
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery
Forced labour and forced marriage · 2021 estimates
UN Office on Drugs and Crime · 2024
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons
Global detection trends and victim profiles
International Labour Organization & UNICEF · 2025
Child Labour: Global Estimates 2024
Global and regional child labour trends, including Asia and the Pacific