The Global Estimates of Modern Slavery provide broad information about the scale and distribution of forced labor. But they also highlight the need for targeted, sector and country-specific data that can inform policy design and stakeholders’ actions to combat forced labor. To date, high-quality research on forced labor has been hindered by significant practical and methodological challenges. Moreover, research on forced labor can be expensive and requires strong on-the-ground presence. Additionally, research on sensitive topics concerning highly vulnerable populations requires robust ethical considerations and protocols. As a result, existing research on forced labor tends to be sparse and fragmented, making it difficult to compile and compare. Research and data have thus often played a limited role in informing design of effective interventions to prevent and address forced labor and other forms of modern slavery.