Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in OECD members
OECD members: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 18.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in OECD members, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
OECD members recorded 18.0% for self-employed, male (% of male employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in OECD members peaked at 23.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.0%, in 2025.
That places OECD members 42nd out of 47 groups 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 OECD members, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.2% | — |
| 1992 | 23.3% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 23.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 23.2% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 22.8% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 22.7% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 22.6% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 22.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 21.7% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 21.3% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 21.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 21.1% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 21.2% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 20.9% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 20.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 20.3% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 20.6% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 20.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 20.1% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 19.9% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 19.7% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 19.5% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 19.3% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 19.2% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 19.1% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 18.8% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 18.7% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 18.8% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 18.4% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 18.0% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 18.0% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 22.8% | 21.7% | 23.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 20.2% | 21.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.7% | 18.8% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.4% | 18.0% | 18.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near OECD members
- 39 Bhutan 60.9% compare
- 40 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 60.4% compare
- 41 Bangladesh 58.8% compare
- 42 Vanuatu 58.1% compare
- 43 Republic of Moldova 57.8% compare
- 44 Senegal 57.5% compare
- 45 Kenya 56.7% compare
More work & labour data for OECD members
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 53.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 68.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 43.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 73.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in OECD members?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in OECD members was 18.0% 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 OECD members?
- The highest recorded value was 23.3% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in OECD members?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.0% in 2025.
- How does OECD members rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- OECD members ranks 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in OECD members?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this OECD members 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.