Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD): Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 51.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) is 51.2%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) peaked at 58.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 51.2%, in 2025.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 21st 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 58.1% | — |
| 1992 | 57.4% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 57.8% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 57.5% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 56.7% | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 56.6% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 54.9% | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 57.0% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 56.6% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 54.5% | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 53.6% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 53.1% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 53.5% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 56.5% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 54.3% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 53.4% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 54.1% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 54.6% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 54.5% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 54.6% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 53.8% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 53.1% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 53.8% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 53.0% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 53.8% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 53.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 53.0% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 52.2% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 55.6% | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 54.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 54.0% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 52.3% | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 51.4% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 51.4% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 51.2% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.9% | 54.9% | 58.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.2% | 53.1% | 56.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.6% | 52.2% | 55.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.5% | 51.2% | 54.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- 18 Ethiopia 86.7% compare
- 19 Angola 85.6% compare
- 20 Papua New Guinea 85.5% compare
- 21 Guinea-Bissau 85.5% compare
- 22 Togo 85.1% compare
- 23 Haiti 85.0% compare
- 24 South Sudan 84.9% compare
More work & labour data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 32.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 25.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 17.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 47.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 71.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 13.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 44.9% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) was 51.2% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The highest recorded value was 58.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.2% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) ranks 21st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 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.