Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho

Lesotho: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 42.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
42.2%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
75th
of 187 countries
All-time high
49.4%
in 1991
All-time low
41.9%
in 2016
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho, 1991–2025

010203040501991200820251991: 49.41992: 48.81993: 48.41994: 481995: 47.61996: 47.21997: 471998: 46.71999: 46.52000: 46.22001: 45.92002: 45.62003: 45.32004: 452005: 44.62006: 44.22007: 43.82008: 43.42009: 43.32010: 432011: 42.72012: 42.42013: 42.22014: 42.12015: 422016: 41.92017: 422018: 42.12019: 42.32020: 42.62021: 42.12022: 42.12023: 42.22024: 42.22025: 42.2

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho stood at 42.2%.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho peaked at 49.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 41.9%, in 2016.

Lesotho ranks 75th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Lesotho, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 49.4%
1992 48.8% -1.1%
1993 48.4% -0.8%
1994 48.0% -0.9%
1995 47.6% -0.7%
1996 47.2% -0.8%
1997 47.0% -0.6%
1998 46.7% -0.6%
1999 46.5% -0.4%
2000 46.2% -0.6%
2001 45.9% -0.7%
2002 45.6% -0.5%
2003 45.3% -0.7%
2004 45.0% -0.7%
2005 44.6% -0.8%
2006 44.2% -0.9%
2007 43.8% -0.9%
2008 43.4% -0.9%
2009 43.3% -0.4%
2010 43.0% -0.6%
2011 42.7% -0.7%
2012 42.4% -0.7%
2013 42.2% -0.4%
2014 42.1% -0.3%
2015 42.0% -0.2%
2016 41.9% -0.2%
2017 42.0% +0.2%
2018 42.1% +0.3%
2019 42.3% +0.5%
2020 42.6% +0.5%
2021 42.1% -1.0%
2022 42.1% -0.2%
2023 42.2% +0.4%
2024 42.2% -0.0%
2025 42.2% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 47.7% 46.5% 49.4% 9
2000s 44.7% 43.3% 46.2% 10
2010s 42.3% 41.9% 43.0% 10
2020s 42.2% 42.1% 42.6% 6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 72 Mongolia 42.9% compare
  2. 73 Sri Lanka 42.9% compare
  3. 74 Panama 42.9% compare
  4. 76 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 41.9% compare
  5. 77 Paraguay 41.4% compare
  6. 78 Nicaragua 41.1% compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More work & labour data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho?
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho was 42.2% 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 Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 49.4% in 1991.
What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 41.9% in 2016.
How does Lesotho rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
Lesotho ranks 75th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho 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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Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-male-percent-of-male-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
235 places, 8,211 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.