The International Labour Organisation has reported that the richest 1 per cent people of the world now control 20 per cent of the global income and 38 per cent of the total wealth, holding nearly 2.5 times the income and more than 20 times the wealth of the bottom 50 per cent of the population.
The report titled 鈥楾he State of Social Justice: A Work in Progress鈥�, was published on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly in New York.
Published ahead of the World Social Summit in Doha to mark 30 years since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, the report found that although the world is wealthier, healthier, and better educated than in 1995, the benefits remain unevenly shared and progress in reducing inequality has stalled.
It showed that deep-rooted social and economic disparities continue to challenge global social justice, despite advances in education, productivity, and social protection over the past three decades.
The report highlighted that persistent disparities left millions worldwide without fair treatment or equal opportunity, one quarter of the global population still lacked access to clean water, underscoring basic deficits despite unprecedented global wealth.
Earlier, an Oxfam report published in January 2025 said that the world鈥檚 richest 1per cent own 45 per cent of global wealth, up from 43 per cent reported in January 2024.
According to the ILO report, gender inequality remains pronounced while women earn only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2025.
At current trends, it said, closing the global gender pay gap could take 50 to 100 years, with low- and lower-middle-income countries potentially requiring almost a century to achieve parity.
The report showed that roughly 800 million people lived on under $3 per day, struggling to meet minimum caloric requirements, which contributed to high working poverty rates.
Child labour continues to affect millions, with 138 million children aged 5 to 17 in 2024 engaged in labour, nearly half of them in hazardous work, depriving them of education and childhood, it said.
At the same time, the ILO report underscored significant progress since 1995, particularly following the World Summit for Social Development.
Global education, it mentioned, has improved, with聽 school completion rates rising by 10 percentage points for primary education, 17 points for lower secondary, and 22 points for upper secondary.
The report said that economic productivity had surged, with annual output per worker increasing by 78 per cent globally since 1995 and by 215 per cent in upper-middle-income countries.
Labour productivity inequality between countries has declined by 40 per cent since 1995, largely driven by middle-income nations narrowing the gap with high-income countries, the report pointed out.
It revealed that child labour rates for ages 5鈥�14 have fallen from 20.6 per cent in 1995 to 7.8 per cent in 2024, reducing the absolute number of children in labour from 25 crore to 10.6 crore.
Social protection coverage has expanded, with over 50 per cent of the global population now covered by at least one scheme, though nearly half remain excluded, according to the report.
Work-related mortality has also improved, declining by more than 10 per cent since 2000.
Extreme poverty, the report also said, has fallen sharply, from 39 per cent of the global population in 1995 to 10 per cent in 2023, while working poverty among employed persons decreased from 27.9 per cent in 2000 to 6.9 per cent in 2024.
鈥楾he world has made undeniable progress in social protection, education, and productivity. But millions remain excluded from opportunity and dignity at work,鈥� ILO director-general Gilbert F Houngbo said.
He said that social justice was not only a moral imperative 鈥� it was essential for economic security, social cohesion, and peace.
The report warned that without deliberate policy interventions, global inequalities could deepen further amid ongoing environmental, digital, and demographic transitions.
It called for urgent actions to ensure equitable access to opportunities, reduce income and gender disparities, and manage transitions inclusively.
The findings will feed into discussions at the upcoming November World Social Summit in Doha and guide the ILO-led Global Coalition for Social Justice, which brings together governments, employers, workers, and other partners to promote fairer, more inclusive societies worldwide.
