India vs Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Self-employed, total (% of total employment)
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) over time
- India
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
How they compare
India currently reports 74.9% against 39.0% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, a difference of 35.9%.
That makes India's figure about 1.9 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.
India ranks 28th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 28th of 187 countries.
India has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | India | Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.0% | 48.5% | 37.5% | India |
| 2000s | 84.2% | 45.3% | 38.9% | India |
| 2010s | 79.9% | 41.7% | 38.2% | India |
| 2020s | 76.2% | 39.7% | 36.5% | India |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher self-employed, total (% of total employment), India or Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- India, at 74.9% against 39.0% in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in self-employed, total (% of total employment) between India and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- 35.9%, with India ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for India and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1991 to 2025.
- How do India and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank globally for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- India ranks 28th and Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 28th 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.