Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin
Benin: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 84.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin stood at 84.2%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin peaked at 92.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 84.2%, in 2025.
That places Benin 25th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 92.7% | — |
| 1992 | 92.6% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 92.5% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 92.2% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 92.1% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 92.0% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 91.8% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 91.7% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 91.6% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 91.4% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 91.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 91.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 90.9% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 90.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 90.7% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 90.6% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 90.4% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 90.2% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 90.0% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 89.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 89.8% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 89.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 89.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 89.3% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 89.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 88.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 88.4% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 88.1% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 87.9% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 86.6% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 85.2% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 84.9% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 84.2% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 92.1% | 91.6% | 92.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 90.8% | 90.2% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 89.2% | 88.1% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.6% | 84.2% | 87.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More work & labour data for Benin
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4203 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.395 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4457 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3247 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 15,661 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,269 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,967 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 19,620 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 39,588 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Benin was 84.2% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 92.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.2% in 2025.
- How does Benin rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Benin ranks 25th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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.