Xiaomi
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 7 sources
Beijing tech company selling phones and smart home devices.
Xiaomi's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2019, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in China is below a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 0 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, a hidden, unaudited supply chain in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and untraced high-risk mined materials. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2019) is more than 5 years old.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 0 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsMost of its products are made in countries such as China and India, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- 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
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Traces its cobalt, gold and other conflict minerals to the mine
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain, mostly in countries with poor worker rights
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on high-risk mined materials it can't traceShown 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
Xiaomi names some of the countries it makes in: China, India and Türkiye. The rest is shown as where electronics are usually made.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| India | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| Türkiye | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Very high |
| VietnamUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| TaiwanUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| MalaysiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| South KoreaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Close to a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: cobalt, tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold mining carry child and forced labour risk (DR Congo, Indonesia), and assembly overtime is widespread.
- Relies on metals such as cobalt, gold and tin from artisanal mines where miners, including children, face toxic dust, mercury exposure and deadly tunnel collapses. It hasn't shown any steps to trace these materials to the mine, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Xiaomi relies mostly on contract manufacturers to make its products, mainly in China and India, with partner plants in other countries such as Turkey, but it does not publish a supplier list or where production is split. Its supplier code is based on the RBA code and requires legal minimum wages and conflict-free minerals, but it reports no audit results and makes no living wage commitment. It scored 5/100 in the 2025 KnowTheChain forced labour benchmark (average 20).
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Scored 5/100 in the 2025 KnowTheChain ICT forced labour benchmark, up from 0/100 in 2020 and 3/100 in 2022. View |
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Problem found | Named by ASPI in 2020 among 83 brands linked to factories using transferred Uyghur workers. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | Electronics from China and cobalt from the DRC appear on the US DOL list of goods made with child or forced labour. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Not listed | No Xiaomi statement appears on the Australian Modern Slavery Register. View |
Confirmed issues 1
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? |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Link through a supplierThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute found Uyghur workers transferred under conditions strongly suggesting forced labour to O-Film Technology, which lists Xiaomi as a strategic partner (ASPI, 2020). Source · search the archive | Not knownNo public response from Xiaomi to the findings has been reported. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- Workers at a Salcomp phone factory in Istanbul, opened with Xiaomi in 2021, reported forced holiday work with pay cuts, and about 170 workers were fired after joining a union; Xiaomi said a partner runs the plant, and in September 2021 Salcomp reinstated all of them (Daily Sabah; IndustriALL, 2021). Source
- Shop Ethical (2023), citing China Labor Watch, reported excessive overtime, wage arrears and child labour at factories supplying Xiaomi; the underlying China Labor Watch report has not been traced. Source
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Xiaomi company page (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre) · search the archive · KnowTheChain ICT benchmark scores: 0/100 (2020), 3/100 (2022), 5/100 (2025)
- Xiaomi (Shop Ethical!) · search the archive · China Labor Watch 2023 abuses at suppliers; World Benchmarking Alliance Social Benchmark 2026 score 9.3/100
- Uyghurs for Sale (Australian Strategic Policy Institute, 2020) · search the archive · Uyghur workers transferred to O-Film Technology, which lists Xiaomi as a strategic partner; Xiaomi among 83 brands linked
- Xiaomi blames Salcomp for sweatshop factory in Turkey (Daily Sabah, 2021) · search the archive · Reports of forced holiday work and union firings at Salcomp Istanbul plant; Xiaomi says partner runs it
- Xiaomi Corporation Annual Results Announcement 2025 (HKEX) · search the archive · 56,531 full-time employees at 31 December 2025, 53,901 of them in mainland China
- Xiaomi just hit a big milestone in its Make in India journey (Android Central, 2021) · search the archive · Xiaomi says over 99% of the phones and all the TVs it sells in India are made there, with partners DBG, BYD, Dixon and Radiant (read 18 Oct 2026)
Published by Xiaomi or its owner
- Xiaomi Supplier Code of Conduct v1.3 (2021) · search the archive · Code based on RBA code; requires legal minimum wages and conflict-free gold, tin, tantalum, tungsten and cobalt
Company details
- Headquarters
- China
- Employees
- About 56,531
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Xiaomi ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/xiaomi, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Better-graded phones
No phones brand selling new goods is Good yet. This is the strongest so far. Second-hand and refurbished goods create no new factory work, so they're Good by rule and come first.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Xiaomi.