36 Million People Live in Modern Slavery, Report Says

Nearly 36 million people around the world live in some form of modern slavery, according to a new report.

The Global Slavery Index published by the Walk Free Foundation finds that 35.8 million men, women and children live in modern slavery due to incidents like trafficking, debt bondage or forced marriages. Modern slavery contributes to the production of at least 122 goods from 58 countries.

The prevalence is estimated to have increased since 2013, the report notes, but that’s largely thanks to more precise measuring.

Among the findings: The continents with the most difficulty eradicating slavery are Africa and Asia; Europe has the fewest modern-day slaves; and the nations with governments making strong efforts to prevent slavery despite low resources are Georgia, the Philippines, Jamaica and Macedonia. Beyond that, all countries except North Korea have legislation criminalizing some form of modern slavery.

Here are the top 10 countries with the highest prevalence of modern slavery:

1. Mauritania
2. Uzbekistan
3. Haiti
4. Qatar
5. India
6. Pakistan
7. Democratic Republic of the Congo
8. Sudan
9. Syria
10. Central African Republic

Read the full report.