Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana
Ghana: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 61.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana stood at 61.8%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana peaked at 82.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 61.8%, in 2025.
That places Ghana 37th 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, male (% of male employment) in Ghana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 82.3% | — |
| 1992 | 81.9% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 81.3% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 80.8% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 80.4% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 80.0% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 79.5% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 78.9% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 78.2% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 77.5% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 77.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 76.6% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 76.2% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 75.7% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 75.2% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 74.7% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 74.2% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 73.6% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 73.1% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 72.6% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 71.9% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 71.2% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 70.6% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 70.1% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 69.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 68.3% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 67.0% | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 65.7% | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 64.5% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 64.4% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 63.1% | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 62.8% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 62.6% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 62.2% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 61.8% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 80.4% | 78.2% | 82.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 75.4% | 73.1% | 77.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.2% | 64.5% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.8% | 61.8% | 64.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
- 34 Zimbabwe 63.3% compare
- 35 Cameroon 62.5% compare
- 36 Azerbaijan 62.4% compare
- 38 Solomon Islands 61.0% compare
- 39 Bhutan 60.9% compare
- 40 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 60.4% compare
More work & labour data for Ghana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1512 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1464 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1562 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.2734 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.99 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 37,518 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 13,752 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,429 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,119 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,548 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Ghana was 61.8% 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 Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 82.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.8% in 2025.
- How does Ghana rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- Ghana ranks 37th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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.
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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.