The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh killed 1,134 workers. Recent data shows that over 90% of garment workers in the country report daily verbal abuse.
Key Takeaways
- Bangladesh Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 workers due to structural failures in 2013
- Pakistan factory fire in Lahore 2012 killed 257 in locked sweatshop doors
- Cambodia building collapse 2013 trapped 7 workers, highlighting poor construction
- Over 90% of Bangladeshi garment workers report verbal abuse daily per 2022 HRW survey
- Cambodia factories see 70% workers facing sexual harassment in 2021 ILO data
- Vietnam migrant workers endure debt bondage in 60% sweatshops per 2020 audits
- In 2022, Bangladesh's garment industry employed over 4 million workers, with 80% being women under 25 years old
- India has approximately 2.5 million child laborers in sweatshops, primarily in textile and embroidery sectors as of 2021
- Vietnam's footwear sweatshops house 1.5 million migrant workers from rural areas in 2023 data
- In Bangladesh, average monthly wage in garment sweatshops is $113 USD as of 2023, below living wage of $196
- Cambodian garment workers earn $203 monthly average in 2022, 40% below poverty line threshold
- Vietnam footwear sweatshop workers receive $180-220 monthly in 2021, excluding overtime
- Sweatshop workers in Bangladesh toil 14-16 hours daily, 7 days a week during peak seasons in 2022
- Cambodian factories enforce 12-hour shifts with only 30-minute meal breaks per ILO 2021 report
- Vietnam shoe factories require 66-hour workweeks, exceeding legal 48-hour limit in 2020 audits
From deadly disasters to forced labor, sweatshop abuses show workplaces designed to harm workers worldwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Health And Safety21 stats
01
Bangladesh Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 workers due to structural failures in 2013
02
Pakistan factory fire in Lahore 2012 killed 257 in locked sweatshop doors
03
Cambodia building collapse 2013 trapped 7 workers, highlighting poor construction
04
Vietnam electronics factory explosion 2020 injured 50 from chemical hazards
05
India fireworks sweatshop blasts killed 40 in Sivakasi 2019 due to overcrowding
06
China Foxconn suicides peaked at 18 in 2010 from dorm pressure and overwork
07
Indonesia garment factory fire 2017 killed 48 locked-in workers
08
Ethiopia park chemical poisoning affected 200 workers in 2022 ventilation failure
09
Mexico maquiladora solvent exposure causes 15% respiratory illness rate yearly 2021
10
Haiti sweatshop TB outbreak infected 500 workers in crowded dorms 2019
11
Bangladesh reports 4,000 workplace injuries annually in garments from machinery 2022
12
Pakistan Ali Enterprises fire 2012 killed 258 due to no fire exits
13
India Bhopal-like chemical leaks in dye sweatshops injure 100 yearly 2022
14
Brazil JBS slaughterhouse COVID outbreak infected 40,000 workers 2020
15
Philippines typhoon-hit factories collapse killing 20 in 2013 Yolanda
16
Turkey earthquake 2023 buried 1,000+ sweatshop workers in collapsed buildings
17
Jordan QIZ dust exposure causes 25% asthma in workers 2020
18
Lesotho TB rates 3x national average in dorms 2022
19
Mauritius factory fire 2021 injured 50 from blocked escapes
20
Nicaragua heat stress hospitalizes 300 garment workers yearly 2023
21
Sri Lanka chemical pesticide poisoning affects 5,000 estate workers annually 2021
Interpretation
Health And Safety Interpretation
Across these Health and Safety cases, disasters caused by unsafe workplaces repeatedly kill or injure hundreds, from the 1,134 deaths in Bangladesh in 2013 and 257 deaths in Pakistan in 2012 to injuries in Vietnam in 2020, showing how structural weakness, unsafe conditions, and extreme pressure continue to put workers at grave risk.
02 · Category
Human Rights Violations22 stats
01
Over 90% of Bangladeshi garment workers report verbal abuse daily per 2022 HRW survey
02
Cambodia factories see 70% workers facing sexual harassment in 2021 ILO data
03
Vietnam migrant workers endure debt bondage in 60% sweatshops per 2020 audits
04
Pakistan child laborers in surgical units face physical beatings in 85% cases 2019
05
India zari workers suffer caste-based discrimination, 40% Dalits unpaid overtime 2022
06
China Uighur forced transfers to cotton sweatshops number 500,000 since 2018
07
Indonesia union busting affects 50% garment factories with firings in 2023
08
Ethiopia women workers raped in dorms, 30 cases reported 2021 HRW
09
Mexico maquiladoras document 200 forced pregnancy tests yearly 2022
10
Haiti union leaders assassinated, 5 cases linked to sweatshops since 2018
11
Bangladesh garment unions suppressed, only 2% factories unionized despite 2013 Accord
12
Global sweatshops report 2.4 million forced labor victims per ILO 2021
13
Bangladesh post-Rana Plaza, 1,000+ harassment cases against women workers 2022
14
Vietnam 100,000+ in forced overtime debt traps 2020 Clean Clothes
15
India 10 million child laborers in sweatshops, trafficked per 2021 census
16
Brazil 369,000 modern slaves in sweatshops/agri 2022 government list
17
Philippines 1.5 million informal child workers in urban sweatshops 2021
18
Turkey 500,000+ child refugees in textiles facing abuse 2022 Amnesty
19
Jordan passport confiscation in 80% migrant sweatshops 2020
20
Lesotho 20% women workers face sexual violence in factories 2023 ITUC
21
Mauritius EPZ dismissals for pregnancy 15% cases 2022 ILO
22
Nicaragua violent union crackdowns post-2018, 300 leaders fled 2023
Interpretation
Human Rights Violations Interpretation
Across these sweatshop systems, the scale of human rights abuses is stark, with rates of verbal abuse above 90% in Bangladesh and sexual harassment reaching 70% in Cambodia, alongside forced transfers of 500,000 Uyghurs to cotton sweatshops since 2018.
03 · Category
Prevalence And Distribution20 stats
01
In 2022, Bangladesh's garment industry employed over 4 million workers, with 80% being women under 25 years old
02
India has approximately 2.5 million child laborers in sweatshops, primarily in textile and embroidery sectors as of 2021
03
Vietnam's footwear sweatshops house 1.5 million migrant workers from rural areas in 2023 data
04
Cambodia's apparel sector features 700,000 workers, 90% female, in over 1,200 factories reported in 2020
05
Pakistan's surgical instrument sweatshops in Sialkot employ 500,000 workers, including 20,000 children in 2019
06
China's Foxconn factories peaked at 1.4 million workers in 2012, now around 800,000 in electronics sweatshops
07
Indonesia's garment sweatshops employ 3.5 million workers, with Java island hosting 70% in 2022
08
Ethiopia's Hawassa Industrial Park sweatshops have 60,000 garment workers, 85% women migrants in 2021
09
Mexico's maquiladoras employ 2.8 million in border sweatshops, 55% women in 2023 stats
10
Haiti's apparel sector sweatshops employ 30,000 workers post-2010 earthquake, concentrated in Port-au-Prince
11
Global apparel sweatshops number 75 million workers in 2022 ILO estimate
12
India's handloom sweatshops employ 45 million informal workers in 2021 census
13
Brazil's meatpacking sweatshops have 250,000 workers in Amazon region 2023
14
Turkey's textile sweatshops in Istanbul employ 400,000 Syrian refugees in 2022
15
Philippines electronics assembly sweatshops total 1.2 million workers in Laguna 2021
16
Jordan's Qualifying Industrial Zones sweatshops employ 100,000 migrants, 70% women 2020
17
Lesotho's garment sector has 40,000 workers in Chinese-owned factories 2022
18
Mauritius apparel sweatshops employ 40,000, declining 20% since 2015
19
Nicaragua's free zones sweatshops have 60,000 apparel workers in 2023
20
Sri Lanka tea estate sweatshops labor 1 million pickers in poor conditions 2021
Interpretation
Prevalence And Distribution Interpretation
Across key garment and electronics hubs, sweatshop work is widespread and highly concentrated among young and often female or migrant workers, from Bangladesh’s 4 million garment workers with 80% women under 25 to Vietnam’s 1.5 million rural migrant workers and China’s Foxconn scale dropping from 1.4 million workers in 2012 to about 800,000 today.
More related reading
04 · Category
Wage Statistics20 stats
01
In Bangladesh, average monthly wage in garment sweatshops is $113USD as of 2023, below living wage of $196
02
Cambodian garment workers earn $203monthly average in 2022, 40% below poverty line threshold
03
Vietnam footwear sweatshop workers receive $180-220 monthly in 2021, excluding overtime
04
Pakistan brick kiln sweatshops pay families $2-3 daily per worker in 2020 surveys
05
Indian textile sweatshops in Tirupur pay $50-70 monthly to women workers in 2022
06
Chinese electronics sweatshops offer base pay of 2,200 CNY ($310USD) monthly in 2023
07
Indonesian garment factories pay minimum Rp 2.4 million ($160 USD) monthly in 2023
08
Ethiopian garment workers earn $26monthly average in 2021, lowest globally
09
Mexican maquiladora wages average $250monthly in 2022, stagnant since 2000 adjusted for inflation
10
Bangladesh garment workers' real wages fell 20% from 2019-2023 due to inflation
11
Average wage in Pakistan brick sweatshops is PKR 500 ($1.80) daily for families 2022
12
Indian garment piece-rate workers earn $0.03per embroidered shirt in 2023
13
Chinese migrant factory wages stagnate at 4,000 CNY ($560) monthly 2023
14
Indonesian palm oil sweatshops pay $120monthly equivalent 2022
15
Ethiopian leather tanneries offer $30monthly to workers 2021
16
Turkish Syrian refugee seamstresses earn $150monthly in 2022 Istanbul shops
17
Jordan QIZ workers get $200base but deductions leave $150 net 2020
18
Lesotho garment minimum wage $100monthly, unpaid overtime common 2023
19
Sri Lanka tea pluckers receive 700 LKR ($2.30) daily piece rate 2022
20
Nicaragua apparel workers earn $180monthly average 2023
Interpretation
Wage Statistics Interpretation
Across wage statistics in major sweatshop industries, pay is consistently far below what workers need, with examples like Bangladesh garment workers earning $113 a month versus a $196 living wage and Cambodian garment workers making $203 monthly in 2022 that remains about 40% under the poverty line.
05 · Category
Working Conditions18 stats
01
Sweatshop workers in Bangladesh toil 14-16 hours daily, 7 days a week during peak seasons in 2022
02
Cambodian factories enforce 12-hour shifts with only 30-minute meal breaks per ILO 2021 report
03
Vietnam shoe factories require 66-hour workweeks, exceeding legal 48-hour limit in 2020 audits
04
Pakistan surgical sweatshops have workers laboring 18 hours daily in unhygienic sheds per 2019 HRW
05
Indian embroidery sweatshops in Delhi operate 15-hour days without ventilation in 2022
06
Foxconn China enforces 11-hour shifts with military-style discipline in 2023 reports
07
Indonesian garment lines run 60-hour weeks, mandatory overtime unpaid in 70% cases 2022
08
Ethiopia parks demand 12-hour days, 6-7 days weekly for migrants in 2021
09
Mexican maquiladoras average 55 hours weekly, night shifts common in 2023 data
10
Haiti sweatshops force 75-hour workweeks post-quake in substandard buildings 2020
11
Brazilian meatpacking shifts 12 hours with 1-hour unpaid lunch in 2022 audits
12
Philippines assembly lines enforce 10-hour days, no toilet breaks during quotas 2021
13
Turkey informal ateliers work 14 hours daily for refugees without contracts 2022
14
Jordan factories mandate 60-hour weeks for migrants 2020 HRW
15
Lesotho Chinese factories 75-hour fortnights routine in 2023
16
Mauritius EPZ garment workers average 54 hours weekly overtime pressured 2022
17
Nicaragua free zones 11-hour shifts, 6 days week standard 2023
18
Sri Lanka estates force women 12-hour plucking days in rain 2021
Interpretation
Working Conditions Interpretation
Across working conditions in 2022 and nearby audit periods, multiple countries report extreme long shifts such as Bangladesh’s 14 to 16 hour workdays and Vietnam’s 66 hour workweeks, showing a clear trend of chronic overwork well beyond normal labor standards.
report visual · Key figures
Sweatshop harm: from deadly disasters to chronic abuse
A timeline of high-impact events and ongoing harm highlights how structural failure, locked workplaces, and exploitative labor practices repeatedly injure or kill workers across countries and years.
2012
Pakistan factory fire in Lahore 2012 killed 257 in locked sweatshop doors
1,134
Bangladesh Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 workers due to structural failures in 2013
20
Philippines typhoon-hit factories collapse killing 20 in 2013 Yolanda
7
Cambodia building collapse 2013 trapped 7 workers, highlighting poor construction
18
China Foxconn suicides peaked at 18 in 2010 from dorm pressure and overwork
2017
Indonesia garment factory fire 2017 killed 48 locked-in workers
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Sweatshop Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sweatshop-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Sweatshop Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/sweatshop-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Sweatshop Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/sweatshop-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level