North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania have the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index published Wednesday, which noted a "worsening" situation globally since its last survey five years earlier.
The report said an estimated 50 million people were "living in situations of modern slavery" in 2021 — an increase of 10 million over 2016, when the problem was last measured.
The figure includes some 28 million people in forced labor and 22 million living in a forced marriage.