By Haddy Touray
An estimated 108,087 children aged between five and 17 years are engaged in child labour in The Gambia, representing 12.9 per cent of children in that age group, according to the 2026 Gambia Labour Force Survey (GLFS).
The survey, released last week by the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS), indicates that child labour is significantly more prevalent in rural areas than in urban centres.
According to the report, 19.5 per cent of children in rural areas are engaged in child labour, compared with 7.9 per cent in urban areas.
The survey also found that the incidence of child labour increases with age, rising from 12.3 per cent among children aged five to 15 years to 17.4 per cent among those aged 16 to 17 years.
At the Local Government Area level, Kuntaur recorded the highest prevalence of child labour at 34.7 per cent, followed by Mansakonko at 22.6 per cent and Janjanbureh at 17.9 per cent.
The lowest rates were recorded in Kanifing Municipality, at 3.5 per cent, and Banjul, at 3.8 per cent.
The report identified agriculture as the main sector in which children are engaged, accounting for 63.4 per cent of child labour among children aged five to 15 years.
It further revealed that hazardous work affects 9.0 per cent of children aged five to 17 years participating in the labour market.
Using the comparable Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 8.7.1 methodology, the survey found that the prevalence of child labour declined from 9.0 per cent in the first-quarter 2023 GLFS to 7.4 per cent in the first-quarter 2026 survey.
The report also highlighted improvements in labour market participation among persons with disabilities.
It said labour force participation among persons with disabilities increased from 20.1 per cent in 2025 to 27.4 per cent in 2026, while employment rose from 19.4 per cent to 26.5 per cent over the same period.
Despite the gains, the report noted that labour force participation among persons with disabilities remains well below that of persons without disabilities, whose participation rate stands at 55.0 per cent.
Women with disabilities recorded the lowest level of labour market participation, with an employment rate of 22.4 per cent, the survey added.