Child labor in Bangladesh is common, with 4.7 million or 12.6% of children aged 5 to 14 in the workforce. Out of the child labourers engaged in the work force, 83% are employed in rural areas and 17% are employed in urban areas.

Among working children ages 5-14, approximately three out of every five are employed in the agricultural sector, 14.7 percent are employed in the industrial sector and the remaining 23.3 percent work in services.1 This breakdown by industry is consistent in both age sub-categories 5-9 and 10-14. Girls are more likely than boys to be employed in the industrial sector (17.8 vs. 13.5 percent) and less likely to be employed in services (18.2 vs. 25.2 percent).