Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Germany
Germany: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 5.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Germany, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Germany recorded 5.9% for self-employed, female (% of female employment) 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 17.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Germany peaked at 8.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 2025.
That places Germany 175th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.6% | — |
| 1992 | 7.8% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 7.9% | +0.6% |
| 1995 | 8.0% | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 7.9% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 8.0% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 8.0% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 7.8% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 7.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 8.0% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 7.9% | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 8.4% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 8.6% | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 8.3% | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 7.8% | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 7.7% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 7.4% | -3.5% |
| 2011 | 7.9% | +5.9% |
| 2012 | 7.7% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 7.4% | -3.5% |
| 2014 | 7.3% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 7.1% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 7.1% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 6.9% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 6.7% | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 6.5% | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 6.3% | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 6.1% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 6.0% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | -1.6% |
| 2025 | 5.9% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.9% | 7.6% | 8.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.1% | 7.7% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.2% | 6.5% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.0% | 5.9% | 6.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 172 United States Virgin Islands 6.5% compare
- 173 Oman 6.4% compare
- 174 Sweden 6.3% compare
- 176 Denmark 5.7% compare
- 177 Russian Federation 5.6% compare
- 178 United Arab Emirates 5.2% compare
More work & labour data for Germany
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0549 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0388 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 66,826 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 12,413 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 35,391 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 35,508 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 70,900 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Germany?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Germany was 5.9% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 8.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 2025.
- How does Germany rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Germany ranks 175th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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.