Fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, according to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery Report. Of these people, 28 million were in forced labour and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage. Latest estimates show that forced labour and forced marriage have increased significantly in the last five years, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The number of people in modern slavery has risen significantly in the last five years. Ten million more people were in modern slavery in 2021 compared to 2016 global estimates. Women and children remain disproportionately vulnerable. Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. More than half (52 per cent) of all forced labour and a quarter of all forced marriages can be found in upper-middle income or high-income countries.
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