Hong Kong, China vs Japan: Self-employed, total (% of total employment)
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) over time
- Hong Kong, China
- Japan
How they compare
Japan currently reports 9.1% against 7.7% in Hong Kong, China, a difference of 1.4%.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times Hong Kong, China's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Hong Kong, China ranks 175th and Japan ranks 171st of 187 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Hong Kong, China | Japan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 18.7% | 8.9% | Japan |
| 2000s | 10.8% | 14.2% | 3.4% | Japan |
| 2010s | 9.3% | 11.0% | 1.7% | Japan |
| 2020s | 8.2% | 9.6% | 1.4% | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher self-employed, total (% of total employment), Hong Kong, China or Japan?
- Japan, at 9.1% against 7.7% in Hong Kong, China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in self-employed, total (% of total employment) between Hong Kong, China and Japan?
- 1.4%, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong, China and Japan?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do Hong Kong, China and Japan rank globally for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 175th and Japan ranks 171st of 187 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.