WORLD Policy Analysis Center

What is the minimum age for admission to employment?

This map tells us until what age children are legally protected from full-time employment at a national level, with parental permission as the only exception.

Employment is any work that is not specified as hazardous or light work.

If a country allows children to work at a younger age with parental permission, the younger age is shown in the map.

Countries

Marshall Islands - No national minimum age

Micronesia, Federated States of - No national minimum age

New Zealand - No national minimum age

Pakistan - No national minimum age

Palau - No national minimum age

San Marino - No national minimum age

Tonga - No national minimum age

Bhutan - 12 or 13 years old

Dominica - 12 or 13 years old

Solomon Islands - 12 or 13 years old

Antigua and Barbuda - 14 years old

Bangladesh - 14 years old

Belize - 14 years old

Benin - 14 years old

Bolivia - 14 years old

Cameroon - 14 years old

Central African Republic - 14 years old

Chad - 14 years old

Dominican Republic - 14 years old

El Salvador - 14 years old

Eritrea - 14 years old

Ethiopia - 14 years old

Guatemala - 14 years old

Guinea-Bissau - 14 years old

Honduras - 14 years old

India - 14 years old

Kiribati - 14 years old

Laos - 14 years old

Lebanon - 14 years old

Malawi - 14 years old

Mali - 14 years old

Mauritania - 14 years old

Nepal - 14 years old

Niger - 14 years old

Nigeria - 14 years old

Panama - 14 years old

Peru - 14 years old

Sao Tome and Principe - 14 years old

South Sudan - 14 years old

Sri Lanka - 14 years old

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - 14 years old

Sudan - 14 years old

Suriname - 14 years old

Tanzania - 14 years old

Tuvalu - 14 years old

Uganda - 14 years old

Venezuela - 14 years old

Australia - 15 years old

Austria - 15 years old

Azerbaijan - 15 years old

Bahrain - 15 years old

Belgium - 15 years old

Bosnia and Herzegovina - 15 years old

Botswana - 15 years old

Cambodia - 15 years old

Cabo Verde - 15 years old

Colombia - 15 years old

Comoros - 15 years old

Costa Rica - 15 years old

Croatia - 15 years old

Cyprus - 15 years old

Czech Republic - 15 years old

Denmark - 15 years old

Ecuador - 15 years old

Egypt - 15 years old

Estonia - 15 years old

Fiji - 15 years old

Finland - 15 years old

Germany - 15 years old

Ghana - 15 years old

Greece - 15 years old

Greenland - 15 years old

Guyana - 15 years old

Haiti - 15 years old

Indonesia - 15 years old

Iran - 15 years old

Iraq - 15 years old

Israel - 15 years old

Italy - 15 years old

Jamaica - 15 years old

Japan - 15 years old

Republic of Korea - 15 years old

Kuwait - 15 years old

Latvia - 15 years old

Lesotho - 15 years old

Liberia - 15 years old

Liechtenstein - 15 years old

Luxembourg - 15 years old

North Macedonia - 15 years old

Madagascar - 15 years old

Malaysia - 15 years old

Mexico - 15 years old

Montenegro - 15 years old

Morocco - 15 years old

Mozambique - 15 years old

Norway - 15 years old

Oman - 15 years old

Paraguay - 15 years old

The Philippines - 15 years old

Samoa - 15 years old

Saudi Arabia - 15 years old

Senegal - 15 years old

Serbia - 15 years old

Seychelles - 15 years old

Sierra Leone - 15 years old

Singapore - 15 years old

Slovakia - 15 years old

Slovenia - 15 years old

Somalia - 15 years old

South Africa - 15 years old

St. Lucia - 15 years old

Eswatini - 15 years old

Switzerland - 15 years old

Syria - 15 years old

Tajikistan - 15 years old

Thailand - 15 years old

Timor-Leste - 15 years old

Togo - 15 years old

Türkiye - 15 years old

United Arab Emirates - 15 years old

United Kingdom - 15 years old

Uruguay - 15 years old

Vanuatu - 15 years old

Vietnam - 15 years old

Yemen - 15 years old

Zambia - 15 years old

Afghanistan - 16 years old or older

Albania - 16 years old or older

Algeria - 16 years old or older

Andorra - 16 years old or older

Angola - 16 years old or older

Argentina - 16 years old or older

Armenia - 16 years old or older

Bahamas - 16 years old or older

Barbados - 16 years old or older

Belarus - 16 years old or older

Brazil - 16 years old or older

Brunei - 16 years old or older

Bulgaria - 16 years old or older

Burkina Faso - 16 years old or older

Burundi - 16 years old or older

Canada - 16 years old or older

Chile - 16 years old or older

China - 16 years old or older

Democratic Republic of the Congo - 16 years old or older

Republic of the Congo - 16 years old or older

Cote d'Ivoire - 16 years old or older

Cuba - 16 years old or older

Djibouti - 16 years old or older

Equatorial Guinea - 16 years old or older

France - 16 years old or older

Gabon - 16 years old or older

The Gambia - 16 years old or older

Georgia - 16 years old or older

Grenada - 16 years old or older

Guinea - 16 years old or older

Hungary - 16 years old or older

Iceland - 16 years old or older

Ireland - 16 years old or older

Jordan - 16 years old or older

Kazakhstan - 16 years old or older

Kenya - 16 years old or older

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - 16 years old or older

Kyrgyzstan - 16 years old or older

Libya - 16 years old or older

Lithuania - 16 years old or older

Maldives - 16 years old or older

Malta - 16 years old or older

Mauritius - 16 years old or older

Moldova - 16 years old or older

Monaco - 16 years old or older

Mongolia - 16 years old or older

Myanmar - 16 years old or older

Namibia - 16 years old or older

The Netherlands - 16 years old or older

Nicaragua - 16 years old or older

Papua New Guinea - 16 years old or older

Poland - 16 years old or older

Portugal - 16 years old or older

Qatar - 16 years old or older

Romania - 16 years old or older

Russian Federation - 16 years old or older

Rwanda - 16 years old or older

Spain - 16 years old or older

Sweden - 16 years old or older

Trinidad and Tobago - 16 years old or older

Tunisia - 16 years old or older

Turkmenistan - 16 years old or older

Ukraine - 16 years old or older

United States of America - 16 years old or older

Uzbekistan - 16 years old or older

Zimbabwe - 16 years old or older