Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Ghana
Ghana: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 73.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Ghana, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Ghana recorded 73.7% for self-employed, female (% of female employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Ghana peaked at 94.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 73.7%, in 2025.
Ghana ranks 39th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 94.1% | — |
| 1992 | 93.7% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 93.1% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 92.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 92.1% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 91.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 91.1% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 90.3% | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 89.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 88.5% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 88.3% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 88.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 87.7% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 87.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 87.2% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 86.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 86.5% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 86.2% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 86.0% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 85.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 85.1% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 84.7% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 84.3% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 82.3% | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 80.6% | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 78.8% | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 77.1% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 76.6% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 74.9% | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 74.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 74.4% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 74.1% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 73.7% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 92.0% | 89.4% | 94.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 87.4% | 86.2% | 88.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.8% | 77.1% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.7% | 73.7% | 76.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More work & labour data for Ghana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1512 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1464 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1562 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2734 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 37,518 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 13,752 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,429 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,119 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,548 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Ghana?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Ghana was 73.7% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 94.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.7% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Ghana ranks 39th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.