Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan
Pakistan: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 73.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan stood at 73.3%.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 2.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan peaked at 81.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 68.8%, in 2003.
That places Pakistan 40th 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 Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 81.2% | — |
| 1992 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 80.1% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 79.8% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 80.7% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 80.3% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 73.3% | -8.8% |
| 1998 | 80.5% | +9.9% |
| 1999 | 80.4% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 72.6% | -9.6% |
| 2001 | 72.6% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 69.1% | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 68.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 74.5% | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 70.8% | -5.0% |
| 2006 | 70.1% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 71.9% | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 74.4% | +3.4% |
| 2009 | 74.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 76.4% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 75.7% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 75.4% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 75.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 73.3% | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 74.9% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 73.7% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 72.5% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 71.4% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 78.0% | +9.3% |
| 2020 | 76.5% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 74.9% | -2.1% |
| 2022 | 74.4% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 74.1% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 73.8% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 73.3% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79.7% | 73.3% | 81.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 72.0% | 68.8% | 74.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.7% | 71.4% | 78.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 73.3% | 76.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 37 Senegal 76.2% compare
- 38 Kenya 74.0% compare
- 39 Ghana 73.7% compare
- 41 Mauritania 71.9% compare
- 42 Azerbaijan 71.6% compare
- 43 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 69.7% compare
More work & labour data for Pakistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1658 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1724 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.4553 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 160,228 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 146,712 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 259,090 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 251,911 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 511,001 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Pakistan was 73.3% 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 Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 81.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.8% in 2003.
- How does Pakistan rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Pakistan ranks 40th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.