Minimum Age Convention, 1973


The ILO Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment C138, is a convention adopted in 1973 by the International Labour Organization. It requires ratifying states to pursue a national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour and to raise progressively the minimum age for admission to employment or work. Convention C138 replaces several similar ILO conventions in specific fields of labour.

Minimum ages

Countries are free to specify a minimum age for labour, with a minimum of 15 years. A declaration of 14 years is also possible when for a specified period of time. Laws may also permit light work for children aged 13–15. The minimum age of 18 years is specified for work which "is likely to jeopardise the health, safety or morals of young persons". Definitions of the type of work and derogations are only possible after tripartite consultations.

Effect on other conventions

The convention is a revision of several conventions for workers in specific areas. Upon entry into force, some of these conventions were closed for ratification and becoming a party to this convention automatically resulted in denunciation of the older ones. An overview of older minimum age conventions of ILO is shown below:
ILO codeFieldconclusion dateentry into forceclosure for signatureParties
Denunciations
revising conventiontext and ratifications
C5Industry28 November 191913 June 1921N.A.270C59, this convention,
C7Sea7 July 192027 September 1921N.A.152C58, this convention, MLC,
C10Agriculture16 November 192131 August 1923N.A.451this convention,
C15trimmers and stokers11 November 192120 November 1922N.A.762this convention,
C33Non-Industrial Employment 30 April 19326 June 193529 December 1950223C60, this convention,
C58Sea 24 October 193611 April 1939N.A.843this convention, MLC,
C59Industry 22 June 193721 February 194119 June 1976828this convention,
C60Non-Industrial Employment22 June 193729 December 1950N.A.011this convention,
C112Fishermen19 June 19597 November 1961N.A.722this convention, Work in Fishing Convention,
C123Underground Work22 June 196510 November 1967N.A.2219this convention,

Ratifications

ILO Convention C138 entered into force one year after deposition of the first two ratifications. As of June 2020 173 countries have signed Convention C138. Initially, however, the pace of ratification of this convention was extremely slow. Therefore, an alternative Convention with a more limited scope was initiated in 1999. It concerns ILO Convention 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Convention C138 enters into force for a ratifying country one year after ratification. This can be denounced every 10 years in the year after 10 years have passed.
CountryDateMinimum age
Afghanistan14
Albania16
Algeria16
Angola14
Antigua and Barbuda16
Argentina14
Armenia16
Austria15
Azerbaijan16
Bahamas14
Bahrain15
Barbados15
Belarus 16
Belgium15
Belize14
Benin14
Bolivia14
Bosnia and Herzegovina15
Botswana14
Brazil16
Brunei16
Bulgaria16
Burkina Faso15
Burundi16
Cambodia14
Cameroon14
Canada8 June 201616
Cape Verde15
Central African Republic14
Chad14
Chile15
China16
Colombia14
Comoros15
Congo14
Costa Rica15
Côte d'Ivoire14
Croatia15
Cuba15
Cyprus15
Czech Republic15
Democratic Republic of the Congo14
Denmark15
Djibouti16
Dominica15
Dominican Republic14
Ecuador14
Egypt14
El Salvador14
Equatorial Guinea14
Eritrea14
Estonia15
Ethiopia14
Fiji15
Finland15
France16
Gabon16
Gambia14
Ghana15
Georgia15
Germany15
Greece15
Grenada16
Guatemala14
Guinea16
Guinea-Bissau14
Guyana15
Haiti14
Honduras14
Hungary16
Iceland15
India14
Indonesia15
Iraq15
Ireland16
Israel15
Italy15
Jamaica15
Japan15
Jordan16
Kazakhstan16
Kenya16
Kiribati14
South Korea15
Kuwait15
Kyrgyzstan16
Laos14
Latvia15
Lebanon14
Lesotho15
Libya15
Lithuania16
Luxembourg15
Macedonia15
Madagascar15
Malawi14
Malaysia15
Maldives16
Mali15
Malta16
Mauritania14
Mauritius15
Mexico15
Myanmar14
Moldova16
Montenegro15
Mongolia15
Morocco15
Mozambique15
Namibia14
Nepal14
Netherlands 15
Netherlands 15
Nicaragua14
Niger14
Nigeria15
Norway15
Oman15
Pakistan14
Panama14
Papua New Guinea16
Paraguay14
Peru14
Philippines15
Poland15
Portugal16
Qatar16
Romania16
Russia 16
Rwanda14
Saint Kitts and Nevis16
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines14
Samoa15
San Marino16
São Tomé and Príncipe14
Saudi Arabia15
Senegal15
Serbia 15
Seychelles15
Sierra Leone16
Singapore15
Slovakia15
Slovenia15
Solomon Islands14
South Africa16
South Sudan14
Spain16
Sri Lanka14
Sudan14
Suriname16
Swaziland15
Sweden15
Switzerland15
Syria15
Tajikistan16
Tanzania14
Thailand15
Togo14
Trinidad and Tobago16
Tunisia16
Turkey15
Turkmenistan16
Uganda14
Ukraine 16
United Arab Emirates15
United Kingdom16
Uruguay15
Uzbekistan15
Venezuela14
Vietnam15
Vanuatu14
Yemen14
Zambia15
Zimbabwe14