Underage Labor Around The World (PHOTOS): 2011 Child Labor Index

Nations that are fueling the global economic recovery are often the same countries rated as having the worst record of underage workers within their labor markets, a new report has found.

Produced by British risk advisory firm Maplecroft, the 2011 Child Labor Index rated 68 nations as falling into the "extreme risk" categories in terms of child labor, with Bangladesh, India and Pakistan falling into the top 10 nations with that unfortunate designation. Known as a principle resource for high-end fashion chains, China ranked just outside of the top 10 nations for underage labor at No. 13. In contrast, the U.S. and the U.K. both found themselves ranked as "medium risk."

According to the Guardian, there are more than 200 million children working throughout the world -- and of these, roughly one in 12 is in a hazardous job such as mining. "Not only is child labour wrong, but the existence of child labour within a company's value chain can have significant impacts on reputation and profits and it is critical that companies undertake stringent monitoring of all suppliers," principal analyst Monique Bianchi is quoted as saying on the Maplecroft website.

View the 2011 Child Labor Index map here.

View the top 10 nations for underage labor here: