Own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Own-account workers, total was 27.7% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean, 1991–2016
Source: World Bank. Measured in % of total employment.
Analysis
Latin America & Caribbean recorded 27.7% for own-account workers, total in 2016.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 29.7% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 25.9%, in 2007.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 12th out of 25 groups with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | % of total employment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 28.3% | — |
| 1992 | 29.7% | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 28.9% | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 29.6% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 28.9% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 28.5% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 27.4% | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 27.3% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 27.3% | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 27.3% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 28.3% | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 28.6% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 28.6% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 28.2% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 26.6% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 26.0% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 26.0% | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 26.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 26.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 26.7% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 26.9% | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 27.3% | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 27.7% | +1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.4% | 27.3% | 29.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.2% | 25.9% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.9% | 26.4% | 27.7% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Own-account workers, total in Latin America & Caribbean was 27.7% in 2016, according to the World Bank.
- What is the highest own-account workers, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 29.7% in 1992.
- What is the lowest own-account workers, total recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.9% in 2007.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for own-account workers, total?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 12th out of 25 groups with data for 2016.
- Is own-account workers, total rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Own-account workers, total (% of total employment). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).