Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Kenya
Kenya: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 74.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Kenya, 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 Kenya is 74.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Kenya peaked at 82.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 71.3%, in 2019.
That places Kenya 38th 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 82.4% | — |
| 1992 | 82.2% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 82.0% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 81.7% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 81.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 81.3% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 80.8% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 80.3% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 79.9% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 79.0% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 78.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 78.1% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 77.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 77.1% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 76.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 76.1% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 75.6% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 75.1% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 74.5% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 74.0% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 73.5% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 73.0% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 72.5% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 72.1% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 71.7% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 71.3% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 73.5% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 75.1% | +2.3% |
| 2022 | 74.8% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 74.5% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 74.2% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 74.0% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.6% | 80.8% | 82.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 78.3% | 76.1% | 80.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 71.3% | 75.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.3% | 73.5% | 75.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More work & labour data for Kenya
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0278 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0073 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2281 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.98 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,185 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 51,282 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 53,727 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 50,468 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 104,196 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Kenya?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Kenya was 74.0% 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 82.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.3% in 2019.
- How does Kenya rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Kenya ranks 38th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.