Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 89.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria is 89.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria peaked at 97.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 89.5%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 14th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 97.7% | — |
| 1992 | 97.4% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 97.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 97.2% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 97.0% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 96.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 96.7% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 96.6% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 96.4% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 96.2% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 96.0% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 95.7% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 95.3% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 94.9% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 94.5% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 94.1% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 93.7% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 93.4% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 93.0% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 92.6% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 92.2% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 91.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 91.6% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 91.3% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 91.0% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 90.8% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 90.5% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 90.2% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 90.0% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 90.9% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 90.5% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 90.4% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 90.1% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 89.8% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 89.5% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 97.0% | 96.4% | 97.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 94.7% | 93.0% | 96.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 91.2% | 90.0% | 92.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 90.2% | 89.5% | 90.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 11 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 90.5% compare
- 12 Congo 90.1% compare
- 13 Guinea 89.9% compare
- 15 Burkina Faso 88.9% compare
- 16 Central African Republic 88.3% compare
- 17 Uganda 87.9% compare
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0025 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3624 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 287,130 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 123,508 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 237,227 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 239,521 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 476,748 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Nigeria was 89.5% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 97.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 89.5% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Nigeria ranks 14th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.