46 million slaves

Nearly 46 million people are held in some form of modern slavery, according to a new study. India has the highest number of people trapped in slavery at 18.35 million, followed by China (3.39 million), Pakistan (2.13 million), Bangladesh (1.53 million) and Uzbekistan (1.23 million), the report said.

In terms of slavery as a proportion of the population, North Korea led with 4.37 percent of the country's 25 million population enslaved. The report noted that North Korea also has done nothing to combat slavery and the state endorses it.

The 2016 Global Slavery Index found there to be many more "modern slaves" than previously recognized, with nearly two-thirds of the global total in Asia. Modern slavery has become a catch-all term to describe human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage, sex trafficking, forced marriage and other such exploitation. The startling contrasts with the United Nation's International Labor Organization, which estimates 21 million people are forced into labor. The ILO's number does not take into account the broader definition of modern slavery used by the Walk Free Foundation. Modern slavery means a person is forced to do work and cannot leave due to threats, violence, coercion, abuse of power or deception.