Countries That Still Have Slavery

What “still have slavery” means in 2025

Modern slavery is an umbrella term for situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, or abuse of power. It includes forced labour, forced or servile marriage, human trafficking, debt bondage, and the exploitation of children. In 2021, an estimated 50 million people lived in modern slavery: 28 million in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage. See the International Labour Organization’s overview and Walk Free’s methodology for definitions and measurement.

State authorities can also be perpetrators. State-imposed forced labour appears in a range of contexts—abusive conscription, penal labour without safeguards, coercion in detention, or campaigns targeting minorities. Walk Free’s spotlight notes reports across multiple prison and detention systems worldwide.

Why estimates differ

Numbers vary because modern slavery is hidden, definitions differ slightly across studies, and conditions shift with conflict, disasters, and migration. Walk Free provides country prevalence estimates (per 1,000 people) and absolute totals for 160 countries, while the ILO offers global and regional estimates. Both show growth since 2016, with women, children, and migrants disproportionately affected.

Countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery

Prevalence means the share of a country’s population affected. Using Walk Free’s 2023 list (reflecting 2021 data), the ten countries with the highest prevalence are commonly cited as: North Korea, Eritrea, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tajikistan, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. These contexts tend to feature conflict, restricted civil liberties, heavy dependence on migrant labour without safeguards, and/or state-imposed forced labour.

Notes, briefly: North Korea—extreme state control and penal/conscription systems; Eritrea—indefinite national service; Mauritania—hereditary practices linger despite criminalisation; several Gulf and neighbouring states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait) rely on low-wage migrant labour under systems linked to kafala, which numerous NGOs and researchers connect to exploitation risks; Turkey, Russia, Afghanistan—conflict, displacement, and weak worker protections heighten vulnerability; Tajikistan—migrant remittance dependence and seasonal coercion risks have been documented. (See Walk Free’s findings for context and country studies.)

Source: Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index 2023 (2021 data), as summarised by major outlets. Exact numeric prevalence values are available in Walk Free’s dataset and visuals.

Countries with the largest numbers of people in modern slavery

Large countries often have the highest absolute totals. Walk Free’s 2023 global findings cite the following ten countries as accounting for nearly two in every three people living in modern slavery: India, China, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Türkiye, Bangladesh, and the United States.

Estimates reflect 2021 and were published by Walk Free in 2023; see their Global Findings page and country studies.

Why modern slavery persists: the main drivers

Conflict, repression, and discrimination create high vulnerability. Walk Free highlights links between modern slavery and: conflict and displacement; climate shocks; and shrinking civil liberties. In G20 economies, demand connects consumers to exploitation through complex supply chains: in 2021, G20 countries imported an estimated US$468 billion worth of goods at risk of forced labour.

Migrant labour systems—especially where worker mobility is tied to employers (often called kafala in parts of the Middle East)—raise risks when passports are confiscated or workers cannot change jobs. State-imposed forced labour is also documented in various prison and detention systems and through abusive conscription. See Walk Free’s spotlight for examples across multiple countries and contexts.

Globally, the ILO estimates 28 million people are in forced labour, and profits from forced labour have surged in recent years, underscoring strong criminal incentives.

What governments are doing (and how to read rankings)

Nearly every government has laws addressing human trafficking, many criminalise forced labour, and a growing number prohibit forced marriage—yet progress has stagnated since 2018. Walk Free notes (2023) that 87 countries criminalise forced labour, 137 criminalise human trafficking, and only 50 have criminalised forced marriage. Strong governance generally correlates with lower prevalence.

The U.S. State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report ranks government efforts (Tier 1 to Tier 3). TIP tiers evaluate responses to human trafficking—not overall human rights records or prevalence of modern slavery—so use them alongside prevalence data for a fuller picture.

Interpretation tips: Prevalence rankings identify where exploitation is most widespread relative to population; absolute totals show where the largest numbers of people are affected; response indices (like TIP tiers) show government effort. None imply that modern slavery is absent elsewhere.

How readers and companies can reduce risk

For individuals: check brands’ transparency reports; prefer certifications that include worker-rights audits; support organisations assisting survivors; learn the signs of trafficking (for example, inability to keep one’s documents or wages). Governments and NGOs offer hotlines and guidance by country.

For organisations: map supply chains; adopt human-rights due diligence; audit labour recruiters (especially for migrant workers); prohibit passport retention; ensure workers can change jobs without employer permission; and fund remediation for victims. Many anti-slavery NGOs offer toolkits aligned with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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