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Global estimates rose from about 40.3 million in 2016 to 50 million in 2021.

The Claim

The number of people living in modern slavery worldwide has increased by 25% over the last decade.

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The Short Version

The evidence supports a roughly 25% increase in modern slavery, but not over a decade. The main global estimates show an increase from about 40.3 million in 2016 to 50 million in 2021, which is a five-year change. Saying this happened “over the last decade” misstates the timeframe and materially alters the claim’s accuracy.

Caveats

  • The 25% figure is tied to 2016-2021, not a ten-year period.
  • A widely repeated media phrasing appears to conflict with the underlying primary estimates.
  • Older global estimates use different baselines and methods; they do not support a 25% increase over a decade.

The Receipts

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

    International Labour Organization

  2. Global Estimates of Modern Slavery

    Organization of American States (OAS)

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

    International Organization for Migration

  4. Global Estimates of Modern Slavery | Walk Free

    Walk Free

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

    International Labour Organization (ILO)

  6. Global findings on modern slavery

    Walk Free

  7. GLOBAL SLAVERY INDEX 2023

    RESPECT

  8. New Global Estimates of Forced Labor and Modern Slavery

    Congress.gov (CRS)

  9. Global Estimates Of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour And Forced Marriage

    UN Network on Migration

  10. 50 million people in modern slavery: UN report

    United Nations

+ 21 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Modern Slavery

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