Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia
Gambia: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 82.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia is 82.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia peaked at 87.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 82.3%, in 2025.
That places Gambia 27th 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 Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 87.9% | — |
| 1992 | 87.8% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 87.7% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 87.6% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 87.5% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 87.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 87.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 87.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 87.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 86.8% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 86.5% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 86.4% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 86.3% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 86.1% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 86.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 85.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 85.7% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 85.5% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 85.3% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 85.0% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 84.7% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 84.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 84.0% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 83.7% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 83.3% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 82.9% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 82.5% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 83.7% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 83.3% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 83.1% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 82.7% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 82.5% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 82.3% | -0.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 82.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 86.7%, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 82.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 80.9%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 87.5% | 87.0% | 87.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 86.1% | 85.5% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.1% | 82.5% | 85.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 82.9% | 82.3% | 83.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 24 South Sudan 84.9% compare
- 25 Benin 84.2% compare
- 26 Bhutan 82.3% compare
- 28 Lao People's Democratic Republic 81.8% compare
- 29 Mali 81.6% compare
- 30 Côte d'Ivoire 80.9% compare
More work & labour data for Gambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0232 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0132 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0501 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,523 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,039 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,898 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,805 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,703 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Gambia was 82.3% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.3% in 2025.
- How does Gambia rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Gambia ranks 27th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.