Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ ↗
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GENERAL

The Claim

In 2021, about 29.3 million people were living in modern slavery in Asia and the Pacific.

Verified by Lenz ·

The Short Version

The evidence supports this figure as the Global Slavery Index 2023 estimate for Asia and the Pacific in 2021. The main confusion comes from comparing “modern slavery” with “forced labour” alone or from weaker secondary sources that misstate the number. This is a modelled point-in-time estimate, not a direct census count.

Caveats

  • The 29.3 million figure is an estimate from the Global Slavery Index, not a direct count of identified victims.
  • "Modern slavery" here includes both forced labour and forced marriage; comparisons to forced-labour-only totals are misleading.
  • Some secondary outlets cite different or rounded regional figures, but those do not outweigh the primary report.

The Receipts

  1. Global Slavery Index 2023 – Asia and the Pacific Regional Report

    Walk Free Foundation

  2. THE GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX 2023

    Global Slavery Index 2023

  3. Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage

    Human Trafficking Search

  4. Modern Slavery on Rise; More Action Needed, Group Says

    Voice of America

  5. Understanding modern slavery statistics - Alliance 8.7

    Alliance 8.7

  6. 50 million people lived in modern slavery in 2021

    Evangelical Focus

  7. What is modern slavery?

    Anti-Slavery International

  8. Asia's Manufacturing Hubs See Alarming Rise in Modern Slavery

    Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

  9. Policy Brief: Thailand's Modern Slavery Conference

    ASEAN ACT

  10. What is Modern Slavery?

    Be Slavery Free

+ 2 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Asia And The PacificModern Slavery

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