Kenya

Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
Prevalence rank
64 of 100 measured
Children 5–17 in child labour14.3%2021 surveyUNICEF reading: 4.3% (CHS 2021, UNICEF and ILO calculations), same producer2
Government effort, worst forms of child labour3Minimal advancement
Trafficking-response tier4Tier 2
ILO conventions5C138 ratified 1979 · minimum age 16C182 ratified 2001
Out of school, primary age (a driver)632.9%2022
Modern slavery, all ages75 / 1,000about 269,000 people, in forced labour or forced marriage
Goods produced with child labour8
CattleCoffeeFishGoldKhat/Miraa (stimulant plant)RiceSandSisalStonesSugarcaneTeaTobacco

Kenya beside its surveyed neighbours in Sub-Saharan Africa1

All of Sub-Saharan Africa
30Democratic Republic of the Congo7.5% 202431South Africa7% 201932São Tomé and Príncipe6.7% 201933Comoros5.8% 202234Ghana5.5% 202235Gabon5.4% 202136Rwanda5.2% 202437Kenya4.3% 202138Mauritania3.1% 2019

Law, programmes and updates

Programmes working here

Sources

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  1. UNICEF / ILO via Our World in Data, Share of children aged 5-17 years engaged in labour, 2026-07-31; accessed 2026-10-15. Each country’s latest national survey. Retrieval route
  2. UNICEF, UNICEF global databases: Child labour (economic activity, children 5-17), UNICEF Data Warehouse extract 2026-07-03; accessed 2026-07-03. Same ILO/UNICEF producer: a coverage and freshness cross-check, shown beside the main series. Retrieval route
  3. US Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor, 2024, published 2025-09-30; accessed 2026-07-02. Retrieval route
  4. US Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, 2026, published 2026-10-08; accessed 2026-10-15. Released 8 October 2026; covers April 2025 to March 2026. Retrieval route
  5. ILO, NORMLEX ratification registers, C138 & C182; accessed 2026-07-02. Retrieval route
  6. UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, 2026-05-12; accessed 2026-07-03. A recognised driver of child labour. Retrieval route
  7. Walk Free, Global Slavery Index 2023 — estimated prevalence of modern slavery by country (Table 26), 2023, published 2023-05-24; accessed 2026-07-03. All ages, adults and children. Retrieval route
  8. US Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (TVPRA List), 2024, published 2024-09-05; accessed 2026-07-02. Forced-labour-only listings are shown apart. Retrieval route