Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait
Kuwait: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 3.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait stood at 3.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 160.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait peaked at 7.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2013.
That places Kuwait 185th 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 Kuwait, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.8% | — |
| 1992 | 7.0% | -11.0% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | -12.1% |
| 1994 | 5.5% | -9.5% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -10.0% |
| 1996 | 4.5% | -9.8% |
| 1997 | 4.4% | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 4.5% | +3.1% |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 4.1% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 4.3% | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 4.4% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 4.2% | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | -9.3% |
| 2006 | 2.8% | -19.9% |
| 2007 | 2.3% | -16.5% |
| 2008 | 1.7% | -26.9% |
| 2009 | 2.0% | +15.7% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -15.9% |
| 2012 | 1.4% | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 1.4% | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | +55.1% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | +28.7% |
| 2021 | 3.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 3.1% | -6.6% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | +8.9% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | +5.9% |
| 2025 | 3.7% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.5% | 4.3% | 7.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 1.7% | 4.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.9% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 3.1% | 3.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Kuwait
- 182 Saudi Arabia 5.3% compare
- 183 United Arab Emirates 5.0% compare
- 184 Oman 4.7% compare
- 186 Bahrain 2.2% compare
- 187 Qatar 0.7% compare
More work & labour data for Kuwait
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.801 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.7211 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.9054 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -100 % change on previous year (2002)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.4407 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,644 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 0 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,171 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,431 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,602 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Kuwait was 3.7% 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 Kuwait?
- The highest recorded value was 7.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Kuwait?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2013.
- How does Kuwait rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- Kuwait ranks 185th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Kuwait?
- Over the last ten years it is up 160.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kuwait 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.