Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America
North America: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 4.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America stood at 4.6%.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America peaked at 5.6% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 4.5%, in 2023.
That places North America 47th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it 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 North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.6% | — |
| 1992 | 5.5% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 5.6% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 5.6% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 5.5% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 5.5% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 5.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 5.3% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 5.2% | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 5.1% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 5.0% | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 5.1% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 5.1% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 5.0% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 5.0% | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 5.0% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 4.9% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 4.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 4.8% | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 4.8% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 4.7% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 4.7% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | -2.7% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | +2.0% |
| 2025 | 4.6% | -1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.5% | 5.2% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.7% | 5.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6% | 4.5% | 4.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
More work & labour data for North America
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in North America was 4.6% 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.5% in 2023.
- How does North America rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- North America ranks 47th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.