Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa
South Africa: Self-employed, male (% of male employment) was 19.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 19.4% for self-employed, male (% of male employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 17.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa peaked at 19.9% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 15.5%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 139th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.2% | — |
| 1992 | 16.2% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 16.2% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 16.0% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 15.9% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 15.8% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 15.7% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 15.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 16.3% | +5.1% |
| 2002 | 16.5% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 16.5% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 16.7% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 16.7% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 17.8% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 16.0% | -10.3% |
| 2008 | 15.9% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 16.3% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 16.7% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 16.9% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 17.3% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 16.4% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 16.0% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 17.3% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 17.5% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 18.0% | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 18.8% | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 19.5% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 19.8% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 19.9% | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 18.4% | -7.2% |
| 2024 | 19.4% | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 19.4% | +0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 19.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.1%, 60% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 19.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.4%, 31% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.0% | 15.7% | 16.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.4% | 15.5% | 17.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.1% | 16.0% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.4% | 18.4% | 19.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 136 North Macedonia 20.4% compare
- 137 Bosnia and Herzegovina 19.6% compare
- 138 Australia 19.5% compare
- 140 Czechia 19.3% compare
- 141 Switzerland 18.5% compare
- 142 Ireland 18.3% compare
More work & labour data for South Africa
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.242 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2122 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8748 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 58,057 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14,698 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 49,126 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 45,189 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 94,314 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa?
- Self-employed, male (% of male employment) in South Africa was 19.4% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 19.9% in 2022.
- What is the lowest self-employed, male (% of male employment) recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for self-employed, male (% of male employment)?
- South Africa ranks 139th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.