What is the minimum working age around the world?

How the minimum working age is treated in 106 countries, from sources last checked September 2026. Choose a country for its classification, the source, and how its neighbours compare.

  • Under 14 25 countries (24%), including United States, Indonesia, Nigeria and Japan.
  • 14–15 46 countries (43%), including India, Russia, Mexico and Philippines.
  • 16+ 35 countries (33%), including China, Brazil, Spain and Argentina.

Under 14 25

14–15 46

16+ 35

About this data

Compiled from Wikipedia: Legal working age; sources last checked 17 September 2026. The full dataset is available as JSON.

More on civic & family

A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.