Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Japan
Japan: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 7.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Japan, 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 Japan is 7.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Japan peaked at 24.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7.5%, in 2025.
Japan ranks 169th of 187 countries on this measure, 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.1% | — |
| 1992 | 22.6% | -6.0% |
| 1993 | 21.1% | -6.8% |
| 1994 | 20.5% | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 20.1% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 19.3% | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 18.9% | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 18.2% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 17.8% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 17.0% | -4.6% |
| 2001 | 16.1% | -5.5% |
| 2002 | 15.2% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 14.8% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 14.0% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 12.9% | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 11.8% | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 11.3% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 10.8% | -4.5% |
| 2011 | 10.4% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 10.3% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 10.0% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 9.8% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 9.3% | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 8.9% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 8.6% | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 8.4% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 8.2% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 8.1% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 8.7% | +7.8% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 7.7% | -3.6% |
| 2025 | 7.5% | -2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.3% | 17.8% | 24.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.0% | 11.3% | 17.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 8.2% | 10.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.5% | 8.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More work & labour data for Japan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4984 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5262 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4728 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.4618 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 103,039 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,756 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 39,867 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 36,979 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 76,846 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Japan?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Japan was 7.5% 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 24.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.5% in 2025.
- How does Japan rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Japan ranks 169th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.