A new report, ‘The Global Slavery Index 2023’, by the Walk Free Foundation, highlights the increasing prevalence of modern slavery worldwide, with the number of people living in such conditions reaching 50 million—an alarming 25% rise in the past five years.

• The report emphasises the significant role played by G20 nations in exacerbating this crisis through their trade operations and global supply chains.
• India, China, Russia, Indonesia, Turkey, and the U.S. are among the top G20 countries with the highest number of forced labourers.

Highlights

1. According to the Global Slavery Index 2023, an estimated 50 million people were living in modern slavery on any given day in 2021, an increase of 10 million people since 2016.
2. It ranks 160 countries based on their estimated prevalence of modern slavery per 1,000 people.

• The countries with the highest prevalence are North Korea (104.6), Eritrea (90.3), and Mauritania (32.0), where modern slavery is widespread and often state-sponsored.
• The countries with the lowest prevalence are Switzerland (0.5), Norway (0.5), and Germany (0.6), where strong governance and effective responses to modern slavery are evident.

      3. Asia and the Pacific has the largest number of people in modern slavery. (29.3 million)

• India has the prevalence of 8. (Estimated proportion of population living in modern slavery per thousand people).