Religion & Liberty Online

More than Half of All Modern Slaves Are in Five Countries

globalslaveryindexThere are 35.8 million people living in some form of modern slavery, claims the Global Slavery Index. The Index is a report produced by the Walk Free Foundation, a global human rights organization dedicated to ending modern slavery.

This year’s Index estimates the number of people in modern slavery in 167 countries, and includes an analysis of what governments are doing to eradicate the this form of human suffering.

According to the Index, of those living in modern slavery 61 percent are in five countries: India, China, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Russia.

In absolute terms, the countries with the highest number of people in modern slavery are:

  • India
  • China
  • Pakistan
  • Uzbekistan
  • Russia
  • Nigeria
  • Democratic Republic
  • of the Congo
  • Indonesia
  • Bangladesh
  • Thailand

The prevalence of modern slavery is highest in:

  • Mauritania
  • Uzbekistan
  • Haiti
  • Qatar
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Democratic Republic
  • of the Congo
  • Sudan
  • Syria
  • Central African Republic

The governments that are taking the most action to end modern slavery are:

  • Netherlands
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Australia
  • Switzerland
  • Ireland
  • Norway
  • United Kingdom
  • Georgia
  • Austria

The governments that are taking the least action to end modern slavery are:

  • North Korea
  • Iran
  • Syria
  • Eritrea
  • Central African
  • Republic
  • Libya
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Uzbekistan
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Iraq

Read more . . .

Joe Carter

Joe Carter is a Senior Editor at the Acton Institute. Joe also serves as an editor at the The Gospel Coalition, a communications specialist for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and as an adjunct professor of journalism at Patrick Henry College. He is the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible and co-author of How to Argue like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History's Greatest Communicator (Crossway).