24.6 million children in Nigeria are engaged in child labour, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has disclosed in a report titled ‘Nigeria Child Labour Survey 2022’ today. The report showed states like Cross River, Yobe and Abia lead the chart with scores above 60 percent.
Child labour, according to the NBS is any work that robs children (under 18) of their childhood, potential, and dignity. The bureau said it also emphasises the detrimental impact on their physical and mental development.
The report shows that children between the ages of 5 to 17 are engaged in economic activities that constitute child labour. “Of all children 5 to 17 years old in Nigeria, 50.5 percent (31,756,302) are engaged in economic activity, with little variation between boys and girls. However, not all children involved in economic activity are in child labour,” NBS said.
39.2 percent (24,673,485) of children are in child labour and more than 14 million are involved in hazardous work (22.9 percent of children 5 to 17 years old). “Among those in child labour, more than 20.1 million are young children in the 5–14 age group and over 4.5 million are older children in the 15–17 age group.”
The NBS report highlights that a key factor driving child labour in Nigeria is children starting work at a young age. The data reveals a concerning similarity in child labour involvement by sex — while slightly more prevalent among males (39.6 percent), females (38.8 percent) are not far behind. The report also identifies a significant geographical disparity.
Child labour is considerably higher in rural areas, with 44.8 percent of children aged 5-17 involved (17.5 million). This stands in stark contrast to urban areas, where the figure is 30 percent (7.1 million).