Annual population and employment, national concept — Self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Annual population and employment, national concept — Self employed was 4,512 Persons in 2025. ▲ Rising
Annual population and employment, national concept — Self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1984–2025
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Persons.
Analysis
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland recorded 4,512 Persons for annual population and employment, national concept — self employed in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual population and employment, national concept — self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 5,090 Persons in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2,789 Persons, in 1984.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th of 36 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Annual population and employment, national concept — Self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | Persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 2,789 Persons | — |
| 1985 | 2,877 Persons | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 2,888 Persons | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 3,150 Persons | +9.1% |
| 1988 | 3,328 Persons | +5.7% |
| 1989 | 3,625 Persons | +8.9% |
| 1990 | 3,663 Persons | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 3,500 Persons | -4.4% |
| 1992 | 3,574 Persons | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 3,538 Persons | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 3,654 Persons | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 3,681 Persons | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 3,627 Persons | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 3,567 Persons | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 3,445 Persons | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 3,404 Persons | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 3,364 Persons | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 3,395 Persons | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 3,436 Persons | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 3,665 Persons | +6.7% |
| 2004 | 3,722 Persons | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 3,741 Persons | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 3,846 Persons | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 3,924 Persons | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 3,946 Persons | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 3,957 Persons | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 4,084 Persons | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 4,158 Persons | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 4,332 Persons | +4.2% |
| 2013 | 4,372 Persons | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 4,674 Persons | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 4,679 Persons | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 4,891 Persons | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 4,914 Persons | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 4,895 Persons | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 5,090 Persons | +4.0% |
| 2020 | 4,675 Persons | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 4,319 Persons | -7.6% |
| 2022 | 4,324 Persons | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 4,467 Persons | +3.3% |
| 2024 | 4,437 Persons | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 4,512 Persons | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3,110 Persons | 2,789 Persons | 3,625 Persons | 6 |
| 1990s | 3,565 Persons | 3,404 Persons | 3,681 Persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,700 Persons | 3,364 Persons | 3,957 Persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,609 Persons | 4,084 Persons | 5,090 Persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,456 Persons | 4,319 Persons | 4,675 Persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 3 United States 9,539 Persons compare
- 3 Netherlands 1,702 Persons compare
- 3 Croatia 231.66 Persons compare
- 4 Italy 6,111 Persons compare
- 4 Slovenia 223.72 Persons compare
- 5 Lithuania 166.31 Persons compare
- 5 Russian Federation 4,954 Persons compare
- 6 Latvia 123.25 Persons compare
- 7 Germany 3,666 Persons compare
- 7 Estonia 79.22 Persons compare
- 8 France 3,505 Persons compare
- 9 Spain 3,241 Persons compare
More work & labour data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.4% (2025)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population and employment, national concept — self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Annual population and employment, national concept — self employed in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 4,512 Persons in 2025, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest annual population and employment, national concept — self employed recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 5,090 Persons in 2019.
- What is the lowest annual population and employment, national concept — self employed recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,789 Persons in 1984.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for annual population and employment, national concept — self employed?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 6th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual population and employment, national concept — self employed rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Annual population and employment, national concept — Self employed. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This table presents population and employment data according to the national concept. The national concept is defined by the residence of the person: employees are residents employed by either resident or non-resident producer units; and the self-employed are resident self-employed people in either resident or non-resident producer units. Users should note that population data corresponds to mid-year estimates (or the average of the reference year). These indicators were presented in the previous dissemination system in the SNA_TABLE3 dataset. See ANA Changes for information on changes in methodology: ANA Changes Explore also the GDP and non-financial accounts webpage: GDP and non-financial accounts webpage OECD statistics contact: STAT.Contact@oecd.org