Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China
Hong Kong, China: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 10.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China stood at 10.9%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China peaked at 16.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 2025.
That places Hong Kong, China 171st out of 187 countries 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, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 14.0% | — |
| 1992 | 13.7% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 13.6% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 12.9% | -4.9% |
| 1995 | 13.0% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 13.2% | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 12.5% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 12.8% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 13.3% | +4.2% |
| 2000 | 13.1% | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 15.2% | +16.3% |
| 2002 | 16.6% | +9.0% |
| 2003 | 16.1% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 15.7% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 14.4% | -7.9% |
| 2008 | 14.2% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 14.3% | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 12.9% | -10.6% |
| 2015 | 12.5% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 12.1% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 12.1% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 12.0% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 12.5% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 11.8% | -5.6% |
| 2022 | 11.9% | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 11.0% | -6.8% |
| 2025 | 10.9% | -1.3% |
Hong Kong, China compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong, China's 10.9% is below the median for high income countries, which is 16.6%, 66% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong, China's 10.9% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 39.6%, 28% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.2% | 12.5% | 14.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.1% | 13.1% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.1% | 12.0% | 14.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 10.9% | 12.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China
- 168 Channel Islands 11.8% compare
- 169 United States Virgin Islands 11.8% compare
- 170 Cyprus 11.8% compare
- 172 Luxembourg 10.8% compare
- 173 Japan 10.3% compare
- 174 Germany 10.1% compare
More work & labour data for Hong Kong, China
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 2,981 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 55.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,663 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.78 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.06 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 149,185 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,833 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 53.6 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.56 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Hong Kong, China was 10.9% 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 Hong Kong, China?
- The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2002.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Hong Kong, China?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 2025.
- How does Hong Kong, China rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- Hong Kong, China ranks 171st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Hong Kong, China 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.