Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 76.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central stood at 76.6%. 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 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central peaked at 86.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 76.6%, in 2025.
Africa Western and Central ranks 1st of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 86.4% | — |
| 1992 | 86.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 86.2% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 86.1% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 86.0% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.8% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 85.6% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 85.4% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 85.2% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 84.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 84.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 84.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 83.7% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 83.2% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 82.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 82.2% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 81.8% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 81.4% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 81.0% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 80.1% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 79.8% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 79.4% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 79.1% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 78.8% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 78.5% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 78.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 78.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 77.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 78.7% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 77.8% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 77.4% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 77.1% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 76.9% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 76.6% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 85.9% | 85.2% | 86.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.9% | 81.0% | 84.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.0% | 77.7% | 80.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 77.4% | 76.6% | 78.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More work & labour data for Africa Western and Central
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 49.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 72.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 54.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 68.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Africa Western and Central was 76.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 86.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 76.6% in 2025.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 1st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.