Global labour rights improve in new 168-country index

A new Labour Rights Index from WageIndicator Foundation and the Centre for Labour Research finds labour laws improved in most countries over the past two years, even as only 3.55% of the world’s population lives where the highest standard of access to decent work is guaranteed. The 2026 edition expands coverage to 168 countries and adds new indicators on platform work, maternity benefits and other labour issues.

Why it matters: - The 4th Labour Rights Index shows measurable progress toward decent work, but legal access remains uneven across the world. - The index covers labour rules affecting more than 95% of the global labour force, or 3.5 billion people. - The findings matter for workers, employers and policymakers because the index also identifies human rights due diligence risks in national legal frameworks.

What happened: - WageIndicator Foundation and the Centre for Labour Research released the 4th Labour Rights Index on October 6, 2026, ahead of World Day for Decent Work on October 7. - The index now includes legal data for 168 countries, up from 145 in 2024. - Nearly 50% of the world’s population lives in countries with de jure “reasonable access to work,” across 42 countries. - Only 3.55% of the world’s population lives in countries with “access to decent work,” the highest score in the index, spread across 21 European countries. - In 2026, 13 countries, representing 4.75% of the global population, still lack access to decent work.

The details: - The Labour Rights Index examines the full working lifespan and scores the presence or absence of labour rights in national legal systems. - The index uses 10 indicators and 48 components or evaluation criteria grounded in International Labour Organization standards. - The scoring is based on an exhaustive review of thousands of pages of labour legislation. - The 2026 methodology expands the index from 46 to 48 components. - New and revised areas include probationary periods, forced labour remediation, platform economy jobs and maternity benefits. - The index now adds three questions on childcare services, the right to leave work in case of imminent danger and social dialogue. - WageIndicator says the methodology is now more tightly linked to United Nations human rights treaties, alongside ILO conventions. - For the first time, the index also draws on supervisory reports from the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations and the Committee on Freedom of Association’s Digest of Decisions.

Between the lines: - The report suggests labour law reform is moving in the right direction overall, but progress is uneven and often limited to specific legal components. - Some score drops reflect weaker protection, while others reflect laws that no longer meet a specific index threshold even if other protections improved. - The addition of platform work, childcare and danger-leave questions points to a broader view of decent work that goes beyond traditional employment rules. - The index is also positioned as a compliance tool for companies navigating UN, OECD and EU due diligence frameworks.

What's next: - WageIndicator says the index can help companies identify labour-rights gaps tied to the UN Guiding Principles, the ILO Multinational Enterprises Declaration, the OECD Guidelines, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the EU Forced Labour Regulation. - The 2026 edition gives governments and employers a more detailed benchmark for future labour-law reform. - Future index releases are likely to show whether recent reforms translate into broader access to decent work.

The bottom line: - The world is making legal progress on labour rights, but the gap between better laws and universal access to decent work remains wide.