Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 34.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean stood at 34.0%.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 37.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 33.2%, in 2014.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 32nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 37.6% | — |
| 1992 | 37.6% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 37.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 37.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 37.8% | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 36.9% | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 37.5% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 37.3% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 37.3% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 36.9% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 37.2% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 37.3% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 37.1% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 36.8% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 36.7% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 36.0% | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 35.3% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 35.1% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 35.1% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 34.6% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 34.0% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 34.0% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 33.8% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 33.2% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 33.6% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 33.9% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 34.5% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 34.9% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 35.1% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 35.4% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 36.5% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 35.5% | -2.7% |
| 2023 | 34.5% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 34.0% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.5% | 36.9% | 37.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 36.4% | 35.1% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.2% | 33.2% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.0% | 34.0% | 36.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 29 Mali 81.6% compare
- 30 Côte d'Ivoire 80.9% compare
- 31 Zambia 80.1% compare
- 32 Timor-Leste 79.8% compare
- 33 Solomon Islands 79.6% compare
- 34 India 78.8% compare
- 35 Zimbabwe 78.4% compare
More work & labour data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Latin America & Caribbean was 34.0% 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 Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.2% in 2014.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 32nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean 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.