Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World
Arab World: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 23.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World stood at 23.8%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 21.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World peaked at 44.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 2025.
Arab World ranks 37th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.7% | — |
| 1992 | 44.0% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 44.1% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 43.7% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 43.5% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 42.8% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 42.2% | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 41.2% | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 40.4% | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 40.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 38.8% | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 39.0% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 39.1% | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 39.9% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 38.0% | -4.8% |
| 2006 | 36.7% | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 36.8% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 35.6% | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 34.3% | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 32.6% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 31.5% | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 30.1% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 30.9% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 30.8% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 30.4% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 29.9% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 30.5% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 29.8% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 29.2% | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 27.7% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 27.8% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 26.9% | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 24.1% | -10.4% |
| 2024 | 24.2% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 23.8% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.9% | 40.4% | 44.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 37.9% | 34.3% | 40.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.6% | 29.2% | 32.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.8% | 23.8% | 27.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Arab World
More work & labour data for Arab World
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 48.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 10.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 39.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 20.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 73.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 46.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 70.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 30.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Arab World was 23.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Arab World?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Arab World?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 2025.
- How does Arab World rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Arab World ranks 37th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Arab World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Arab World data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.