Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific
East Asia & Pacific: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 38.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
East Asia & Pacific recorded 38.4% for self-employed, female (% of female employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific peaked at 58.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 38.4%, in 2025.
That places East Asia & Pacific 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 58.3% | — |
| 1992 | 57.7% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 57.0% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 56.4% | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 55.8% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 55.2% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 54.5% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 54.0% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 53.6% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 53.1% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 52.0% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 51.4% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 50.8% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 49.8% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 48.8% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 48.1% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 47.8% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 46.9% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 46.2% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 45.5% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 44.9% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 44.1% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 43.5% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 42.7% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 41.8% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 41.2% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 40.6% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 40.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 39.7% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 39.8% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 39.5% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 39.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 39.2% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 38.7% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 38.4% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.8% | 53.6% | 58.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 49.5% | 46.2% | 53.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.4% | 39.7% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.2% | 38.4% | 39.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near East Asia & Pacific
More work & labour data for East Asia & Pacific
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 46.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 49.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 58.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 80.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in East Asia & Pacific was 38.4% 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 East Asia & Pacific?
- The highest recorded value was 58.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in East Asia & Pacific?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.4% in 2025.
- How does East Asia & Pacific rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- East Asia & Pacific ranks 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in East Asia & Pacific?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this East Asia & Pacific 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.
Download this data
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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.