Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in France

France: Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) was 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
3,865 Thousand persons
Change on year
up 3.0%
World rank
5th
of 45 countries
All-time high
3,865 Thousand persons
in 2025
All-time low
2,564 Thousand persons
in 2008
Years of data
18
2008–2025

Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in France, 2008–2025

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k2008201620252008: 2.6k Thousand persons2009: 2.6k Thousand persons2010: 2.8k Thousand persons2011: 2.8k Thousand persons2012: 2.8k Thousand persons2013: 2.8k Thousand persons2014: 2.9k Thousand persons2015: 2.9k Thousand persons2016: 3.0k Thousand persons2017: 3.0k Thousand persons2018: 3.1k Thousand persons2019: 3.2k Thousand persons2020: 3.3k Thousand persons2021: 3.4k Thousand persons2022: 3.6k Thousand persons2023: 3.6k Thousand persons2024: 3.8k Thousand persons2025: 3.9k Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

The most recent figure for self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in France is 3,865 Thousand persons, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 18 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.0% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in France peaked at 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,564 Thousand persons, in 2008.

France ranks 5th of 45 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.

Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in France, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026) in France, 2008 to 2025.
Year Thousand persons Change
2008 2,564 Thousand persons
2009 2,641 Thousand persons +3.0%
2010 2,801 Thousand persons +6.1%
2011 2,849 Thousand persons +1.7%
2012 2,818 Thousand persons -1.1%
2013 2,781 Thousand persons -1.3%
2014 2,933 Thousand persons +5.5%
2015 2,931 Thousand persons -0.1%
2016 3,006 Thousand persons +2.6%
2017 3,002 Thousand persons -0.1%
2018 3,053 Thousand persons +1.7%
2019 3,182 Thousand persons +4.2%
2020 3,251 Thousand persons +2.2%
2021 3,379 Thousand persons +3.9%
2022 3,595 Thousand persons +6.4%
2023 3,582 Thousand persons -0.4%
2024 3,753 Thousand persons +4.8%
2025 3,865 Thousand persons +3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2,602 Thousand persons 2,564 Thousand persons 2,641 Thousand persons 2
2010s 2,936 Thousand persons 2,781 Thousand persons 3,182 Thousand persons 10
2020s 3,571 Thousand persons 3,251 Thousand persons 3,865 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near France

  1. 2 Italy 4,943 Thousand persons compare
  2. 3 United Kingdom 4,881 Thousand persons compare
  3. 3 United Kingdom 4,881 Thousand persons compare
  4. 6 Germany 3,393 Thousand persons compare
  5. 7 Spain 3,195 Thousand persons compare
  6. 8 Poland 3,120 Thousand persons compare
  7. 8 Poland 3,120 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 47 places →

More work & labour data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in France?
Self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) in France was 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 2,564 Thousand persons in 2008.
How does France rank for self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2)?
France ranks 5th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by economic activity (nace rev. 2) rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) in France. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-persons-by-economic-activity-nace-rev-2-2008-2026/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by economic activity (NACE Rev. 2) (2008-2026)
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
47 places, 811 data points, 2008–2025
Last refreshed