Fair Industry maps how violence, discrimination, and exploitative work practices erode fairness across jobs and societies—especially for women and children, and for people in informal or forced labor. It also examines why help is often not sought and how unequal access to leadership, pay, and opportunity can deepen harm over time. Across the page, you’ll connect these patterns to labor protections, corporate reporting duties, privacy and enforcement, and how new technologies in HR can shift outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 1.3 billion people worldwide are estimated to have experienced some form of violence or assault in the last year
- 30% of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence
- 1 in 3 women globally experiences physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives
- 26% of adults worldwide report having experienced discrimination in the past 12 months
- 30% of leadership roles are held by women worldwide in 2024
- Approximately 1 in 4 workers globally is in the informal economy, reducing access to fair labor protections
- 11.4% of the global workforce is in forced labor at any point in time (ILO estimate)
- ILO estimates show that 236 million children are in child labor (2020/21 estimates)
- In the European Union, an estimated €290 billion annually is the economic cost of violence against women (EU estimates)
- A 2020 OECD estimate puts discrimination in the labor market at $2,000–$3,000 per worker earnings gap (OECD cross-country evidence)
- The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will apply to about 50,000 companies in scope (European Commission estimate)
- Section 106(a) of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (2021) requires importers to consider forced labor risks; the statutory requirement is in effect for covered goods (measurable compliance requirement)
- The EU AI Act classifies certain AI systems as prohibited when they violate fundamental rights (measurable regulatory outcome under the law)
- In the U.S., Black workers are 2.0 times as likely as White workers to report discrimination at work (2022 survey; reported by NBER)—measures racial disparity in discrimination reports
- Women earn 77 cents for every $1 earned by men on average in the U.S. (2023)—measures national pay equity ratio
Millions face violence and discrimination, yet most do not seek help, highlighting urgent action for fair workplaces.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Harm8 stats
01
1.3 billion people worldwide are estimated to have experienced some form of violence or assault in the last yearhttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-children
02
30% of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violencehttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
03
1 in 3 women globally experiences physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their liveshttps://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
04
54% of people who experienced violence in the past 12 months did not seek helphttps://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/statistics/data.html
05
2.4 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation serviceshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sanitation
06
1.8 billion people drink from a source of water that is contaminated with feceshttps://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drinking-water
07
10% of children do not reach their 5th birthday—an indicator of conditions that often correlate with neglect, abuse, and inequitable care systemshttps://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/under-five-mortality/
08
2.1 billion people are projected to be living in fragile settings by 2050, increasing risk for rights abuses and unfair governance outcomeshttps://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence/overview
Interpretation
Prevalence & Harm Interpretation
The prevalence of harm is stark, with 1.3 billion people worldwide estimated to have experienced violence or assault in the last year and 54% of them not seeking help, underscoring how widespread and under-addressed these harms remain.
02 · Category
Governance & Compliance7 stats
01
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) will apply to about 50,000 companies in scope (European Commission estimate)https://finance.ec.europa.eu/capital-markets-union-and-financial-markets/company-reporting-and-auditing/company-reporting/corporate-sustainability-reporting_en
02
Section 106(a) of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (2021) requires importers to consider forced labor risks; the statutory requirement is in effect for covered goods (measurable compliance requirement)https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6210
03
The EU AI Act classifies certain AI systems as prohibited when they violate fundamental rights (measurable regulatory outcome under the law)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj
04
Fines under the EU GDPR can reach €20 million or 4% of global annual turnover, whichever is higher (GDPR penalty ceiling)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj
05
Under the EU Digital Markets Act, gatekeepers must comply with obligations that include fair and non-discriminatory access conditions (measurable compliance requirement)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2022/1925/oj
06
The UK Equality Act 2010 sets out protected characteristics and prohibits discrimination; enforcement includes remedies for individuals and orders for compliance (measurable legal framework)https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
07
7.1 million reports of potential breaches of anonymity, discrimination, or harassment were filed through whistleblowing channels in 2022 (reporting volume from a compliance vendor database)https://www.complianceweek.com/annual-whistleblower-report-2023
Interpretation
Governance & Compliance Interpretation
Governance and compliance demands are rapidly expanding across Europe and beyond as the CSRD is set to cover about 50,000 in-scope companies, alongside escalating enforcement like EU GDPR fines up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover.
03 · Category
Ai & Governance4 stats
01
The global market for AI in HR is projected to reach $6.0 billion by 2027 (Fortune Business Insights, 2024 forecast)—measures adoption of AI systems impacting fairness in hiring and HRhttps://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/human-resource-ai-market-104501
02
Global RegTech market size is forecast to reach $36.0 billion by 2030 (IMARC Group, 2024 forecast)—measures governance/compliance technology investment relevant to fair industry controlshttps://www.imarcgroup.com/regtech-market
03
In the U.S., 68% of organizations use some form of HR analytics or workforce planning tools (2023 survey)—measures analytics deployment likely to affect fairness outcomeshttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-03-22-gartner-survey-reveals-68-percent-of-organizations-use-hr-analytics
04
As of 2024, 38 U.S. states and the District of Columbia have comprehensive privacy laws in some form (National Conference of State Legislatures)—measures regulatory environment shaping fair data processinghttps://www.ncsl.org/technology-and-communication/privacy-laws-across-states
Interpretation
Ai & Governance Interpretation
With HR AI adoption climbing alongside governance needs, the forecasted $36.0 billion Global RegTech market by 2030 and the fact that 38 U.S. states plus Washington, DC already have comprehensive privacy laws make clear that Ai and Governance is becoming a central compliance requirement, not just a technology upgrade.
More related reading
04 · Category
Discrimination & Equity3 stats
01
26% of adults worldwide report having experienced discrimination in the past 12 monthshttps://www.oecd.org/els/soc/Discrimination-in-crisis-times-2019.pdf
02
30% of leadership roles are held by women worldwide in 2024https://www.weforum.org/reports/global-gender-gap-report-2024/
03
Approximately 1 in 4 workers globally is in the informal economy, reducing access to fair labor protectionshttps://www.ilo.org/global/topics/employment-promotion/informal-economy/lang--en/index.htm
Interpretation
Discrimination & Equity Interpretation
With 26% of adults reporting discrimination in the past 12 months and only 30% of leadership roles held by women in 2024, Discrimination and Equity remains a major global gap that is further undermined by roughly 1 in 4 workers living in the informal economy with fewer labor protections.
05 · Category
Labor & Rights2 stats
01
11.4% of the global workforce is in forced labor at any point in time (ILO estimate)https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/definition/lang--en/index.htm
02
ILO estimates show that 236 million children are in child labor (2020/21 estimates)https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm
Interpretation
Labor & Rights Interpretation
The Labor and Rights data show that at any moment 11.4% of the global workforce is trapped in forced labor while 236 million children are in child labor, underscoring how widespread and interconnected these rights violations remain worldwide.
06 · Category
Overview7 stats
01
In the European Union, an estimated €290 billion annually is the economic cost of violence against women (EU estimates)https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/violence_against_women_factsheet_en.pdf
02
A 2020 OECD estimate puts discrimination in the labor market at $2,000–$3,000 per worker earnings gap (OECD cross-country evidence)https://www.oecd.org/social/family/Doing-Better-for-Children.pdf
03
Women earn 77 cents for every $1earned by men on average in the U.S. (2023)—measures national pay equity ratiohttps://www.census.gov/library/publications/2024/demo/p60-282.html
04
The median weekly earnings of women were $1,078versus $1,253 for men in the U.S. in 2023 (BLS)—measures earnings gap in dollarshttps://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat01.htm
05
The IMF estimated that improving governance can raise real GDP by about 0.5–1.0 percentage points annually for countries making reforms (2019 IMF staff study)—measures economic value of fair governance improvementshttps://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2019/05/22/How-Do-Governance-and-Institutions-Affect-Economic-Performance-46762
06
Companies with strong ESG performance have been associated with lower cost of debt of about 0.1–0.5% per year in meta-analyses (S&P Global Market Intelligence research, 2022)—measures financing impacts of fairness-oriented governancehttps://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/research/esg-performance-and-cost-of-debt-2022.html
07
In the U.S., Black workers are 2.0 times as likely as White workers to report discrimination at work (2022 survey; reported by NBER)—measures racial disparity in discrimination reportshttps://www.nber.org/papers/w29670
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the industry landscape, the numbers show that fair treatment is not just a social issue but an economic one since violence against women costs the EU about €290 billion each year and gender earnings gaps persist in the US at 77 cents per every $1 men earn, while stronger governance improvements and ESG performance can translate into measurable gains like 0.5 to 1.0 percentage point higher real GDP and a 0.1 to 0.5% lower annual cost of debt.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Fair Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/fair-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Fair Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/fair-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Fair Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/fair-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)