Employers, total (% of total employment) in World

World: Employers, total (% of total employment) was 4.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
4.0%
Change on year
up 0.2%
Rank
21st
of 47 groups
All-time high
4.0%
in 2025
All-time low
3.6%
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Employers, total (% of total employment) in World, 1991–2025

012341991200820251991: 3.61992: 3.61993: 3.61994: 3.61995: 3.61996: 3.61997: 3.61998: 3.61999: 3.62000: 3.62001: 3.72002: 3.72003: 3.72004: 3.72005: 3.72006: 3.72007: 3.72008: 3.72009: 3.72010: 3.72011: 3.72012: 3.72013: 3.72014: 3.72015: 3.82016: 3.82017: 3.82018: 3.92019: 3.92020: 3.82021: 3.82022: 3.92023: 42024: 42025: 4

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

World recorded 4.0% for employers, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, employers, total (% of total employment) in World peaked at 4.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.6%, in 1991.

That places World 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Employers, total (% of total employment) in World, year by year

Annual values for Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in World, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 3.6%
1992 3.6% +0.3%
1993 3.6% +0.0%
1994 3.6% +1.0%
1995 3.6% +0.4%
1996 3.6% -0.5%
1997 3.6% +0.6%
1998 3.6% -0.7%
1999 3.6% +0.8%
2000 3.6% -0.5%
2001 3.7% +1.0%
2002 3.7% +0.2%
2003 3.7% +0.1%
2004 3.7% +1.1%
2005 3.7% -0.5%
2006 3.7% +0.4%
2007 3.7% -0.2%
2008 3.7% +0.3%
2009 3.7% -0.1%
2010 3.7% -1.0%
2011 3.7% +0.5%
2012 3.7% +0.7%
2013 3.7% -0.3%
2014 3.7% +0.4%
2015 3.8% +0.7%
2016 3.8% +0.7%
2017 3.8% +1.0%
2018 3.9% +1.9%
2019 3.9% -0.9%
2020 3.8% -1.6%
2021 3.8% -0.3%
2022 3.9% +3.3%
2023 4.0% +2.1%
2024 4.0% +0.2%
2025 4.0% +0.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.6% 3.6% 3.6% 9
2000s 3.7% 3.6% 3.7% 10
2010s 3.8% 3.7% 3.9% 10
2020s 3.9% 3.8% 4.0% 6

Countries ranked near World

  1. 18 Sudan 6.9% compare
  2. 19 Italy 6.8% compare
  3. 20 Namibia 6.6% compare
  4. 21 Croatia 6.4% compare
  5. 22 Somalia 6.2% compare
  6. 23 Uganda 6.1% compare
  7. 24 Central African Republic 6.0% compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More work & labour data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is employers, total (% of total employment) in World?
Employers, total (% of total employment) in World was 4.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 4.0% in 2025.
What is the lowest employers, total (% of total employment) recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 3.6% in 1991.
How does World rank for employers, total (% of total employment)?
World ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
Is employers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this World data come from?
The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Employers, total (% of total employment) in World. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 06 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/employers-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Employers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
235 places, 8,211 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Employers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners, 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), and, in this capacity, have engaged, on a continuous basis, one or more persons to work for them as employee(s).