Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 16 sources
Korean carmaker selling SUVs such as the Sportage, electric cars and a ute.
In 2022, children aged 13 to 15 worked in hazardous jobs at an Alabama supplier of Kia lights and mirrors.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of Kia putting this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 6 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour, a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown and battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelter. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: child labour, last recorded in 2022.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: labour rights breach, last recorded in 2022
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its battery metals to the mine and its aluminium to smelters outside Xinjiang
Red flags 6
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: Made mostly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Relies on battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelterShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 3 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From press and retailer reports. Kia makes its products in its own factories, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet. The rest is shown as where cars and bikes are usually made.
| Country | Share | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 54% | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
| China | Not given | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Mexico | Not given | Regular violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| JapanUsual for the industry | 7% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | 5% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| GermanyUsual for the industry | 1% | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| SpainUsual for the industry | 1% | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| TürkiyeUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | 1% | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery metals, aluminium and steel link carmakers to state-imposed forced labour in Xinjiang, child and forced labour in DR Congo's cobalt mines and deadly nickel smelters in Indonesia; aluminium auto parts and lithium-ion batteries from China are on the US forced labour list. Source
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on battery metals such as cobalt and nickel from mines and smelters where workers, including children, face deadly collapses and explosions, and on aluminium that may come from Xinjiang, where the state forces Uyghur workers into mines and smelters that audits can't reach. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its battery metals to the mine or its aluminium to the smelter, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Most Kias sold in Australia are built in South Korea (Sportage, Sorento and others), with the EV5 electric SUV from Kia's plant in China and the K4 from Mexico; the Korean share is a rough estimate. Kia assembles them in its own plants. Kia is rated separately from Hyundai, though both belong to Hyundai Motor Group and share supplier problems such as SL Alabama's child labour; Kia has started mapping battery minerals to the mine but publishes no findings, smelter list or aluminium tracing and isn't an IRMA member. Its Australian modern slavery statement is published on its website.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Lead the Charge auto supply chain leaderboard | Listed | Kia scored 23% on Human Rights & Responsible Sourcing in the Lead the Charge 2026 auto supply chain leaderboard (21% overall, 11th of 18); it has begun mapping battery supply chains but discloses no findings and has no supply chain grievance mechanism. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Not listed | Not among the 13 electric car makers in Amnesty International's 2024 Recharge for Rights ranking (its sister company Hyundai scored 21 out of 90). View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Kia Australia publishes a modern slavery statement under the Modern Slavery Act. View |
| UK Modern Slavery Statement Registry | Listed | Kia's UK business publishes a modern slavery statement. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list names lithium-ion batteries from China (made with child labour inputs) and Chinese aluminium and aluminium auto parts (forced labour); Kia's EV5 electric SUV sold in Australia is built in China, while South Korea has no vehicle entries. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Neither Kia nor Xincheng Auto Parts, the supplier named in a 2025 investigation, is on the UFLPA Entity List (October 2026). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Listed | Lists Kia in the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's 2025 Xinjiang car investigation and, with Hyundai, in the Sheffield Hallam report (Hyundai Motor Group did not respond). View |
Confirmed issues 4
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Link through a supplierThe Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that Xincheng Auto Parts, a Wuhan parts maker that has supplied Kia, recruited Uyghur workers through Xinjiang labour transfers from late 2022, and reported Uyghur workers at Shandong wiring harness factories supplying Hyundai and Kia plants in Korea (TBIJ via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025). Source · archived copy | Not knownKia gave no separate response; Hyundai, its largest shareholder, said it found no record of Xinjiang ethnic minority workers at the harness suppliers identified. |
| 2022 | The US Department of Labor found that SL Alabama, which makes headlights, rear lights and side mirrors for Hyundai and Kia, illegally employed 13- to 15-year-olds in hazardous manufacturing work; it paid a penalty and was put under a court consent judgment in 2022 (US Department of Labor, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownSL Alabama paid a US$30,076 penalty and accepted a court order; no source shows Kia acting on the case or any remedy for the children. |
| 2022 | Korea's Supreme Court ruled in October 2022 that 271 subcontracted workers doing painting, assembly and production work at Kia plants were in a dispatch relationship with Kia and must be directly employed and paid the wage difference (Asia Economy, 2022). Source · search the archive | Not knownThe court ordered direct employment and payment of wage differences, about 10.7 billion won in total for Hyundai and Kia plaintiffs; no source shows how far Kia has complied. |
| 2022 | Link through a supplierSheffield Hallam University and NomoGaia's Driving Force report traced supply chains from companies involved in Uyghur forced labour in steel, aluminium and copper to major car brands, including Kia (Sheffield Hallam University, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownHyundai Motor Group did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre's request for a response on Hyundai and Kia. |
Sources and actions
Sources 16
Show all 16 sources
- China: More than 30 automobile brands have products with Xinjiang forced labour risks (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025) · archived copy · TBIJ investigation naming Kia
- Report traces supply chain from companies involved in Uyghur abuses to major car brands (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023) · archived copy · Hyundai Group did not respond on Hyundai and Kia
- Kia scorecard (Lead the Charge) · search the archive · Mapping to the extraction point begun with no findings disclosed; no supplier human rights requirement or grievance mechanism
- IRMA members and partners · search the archive · Kia is not an IRMA member
- SL Alabama child labor consent judgment (US Department of Labor, 2022) · archived copy · 13- to 15-year-olds employed; US$30,076 penalty; makes headlights, rear lights and side mirrors for Hyundai and Kia
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor, 2024) · search the archive · Aluminium from China and auto parts made with it
- UFLPA Entity List (US Department of Homeland Security) · search the archive · Kia is not listed
- Where Australia's top 10 cars are made (CarExpert, March 2025) · search the archive · Sportage (22,210 sales in 2024) built at Gwangju, South Korea
- The most popular new cars in Australia by country of origin (Chasing Cars, August 2025) · search the archive · Kia Sportage and Sorento from South Korea; K4 from Mexico
- Kia: Chinese sourcing a benefit to customers (CarExpert, 2024) · search the archive · EV5 for Australia built at Kia's Chinese plant; up to about 850 a month
- Supreme Court: Hyundai and Kia must directly employ in-house partner company workers (Asia Economy, 2022) · search the archive · 271 Kia subcontracted workers in a dispatch relationship; direct employment and wage differences ordered
- Did coerced labour build your car? (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 2025) · search the archive · Xincheng Auto Parts has supplied Kia; Shandong harness suppliers to Hyundai and Kia in Korea
- 2024 Kia EV5 electric SUV confirmed for Australia, built in China (CarAdvice) · search the archive · EV5 for Australia built in China
- Second Hyundai supplier accused of breaking child labor laws (Fox Business) · search the archive · SL Alabama makes parts for automakers including Hyundai and Kia; admitted employing children
Published by Kia or its owner
- Kia Australia company and consumer statements · search the archive · Links Kia Australia's modern slavery statement
- Modern slavery statement (Kia UK) · search the archive · UK modern slavery statement
Company details
- Headquarters
- South Korea
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Kia ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/kia, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Other cars and suvs brands
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Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Kia.