“Just nine countries did not have large-scale forced labor at any time since the late 18th century.

After a small number of countries reduced forced labor substantially in the early 1800s, the rest of the 19th century, and the first decades of the 20th, saw steady successes in the fight for abolition.

Progress accelerated in the mid-20th century. In just a few decades, dozens of countries abolished large-scale forced labor: at the end of World War II, almost 100 countries still had such systems in place. Only one generation later, by 1975, that number had fallen to 31. In recent decades, the number of countries where forced labor is common has continued to fall, though at a slower pace.

In 2024, there were nine countries with large-scale forced labor.”

From Our World in Data.