Self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark

Denmark: Self-employed persons by occupation was 207.4 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
207.4 Thousand persons
Change on year
down 9.4%
World rank
24th
of 36 countries
All-time high
278.6 Thousand persons
in 1983
All-time low
207.4 Thousand persons
in 2025
Years of data
43
1983–2025

Self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark, 1983–2025

01002003001983200420251983: 278.6 Thousand persons1984: 254.6 Thousand persons1985: 250.3 Thousand persons1986: 247.2 Thousand persons1987: 240.9 Thousand persons1988: 236.8 Thousand persons1989: 241.9 Thousand persons1990: 252.1 Thousand persons1991: 237.6 Thousand persons1992: 232.4 Thousand persons1993: 229.9 Thousand persons1994: 212.9 Thousand persons1995: 217.7 Thousand persons1996: 218.9 Thousand persons1997: 222.3 Thousand persons1998: 226 Thousand persons1999: 223.9 Thousand persons2000: 222.1 Thousand persons2001: 217.6 Thousand persons2002: 219.3 Thousand persons2003: 227 Thousand persons2004: 216.6 Thousand persons2005: 222.2 Thousand persons2006: 234.2 Thousand persons2007: 236.1 Thousand persons2008: 243.9 Thousand persons2009: 249.7 Thousand persons2010: 234.5 Thousand persons2011: 234.7 Thousand persons2012: 237.9 Thousand persons2013: 235.4 Thousand persons2014: 233.3 Thousand persons2015: 231.7 Thousand persons2016: 230.8 Thousand persons2017: 221.8 Thousand persons2018: 219 Thousand persons2019: 228.9 Thousand persons2020: 231.7 Thousand persons2021: 237.2 Thousand persons2022: 238.2 Thousand persons2023: 237 Thousand persons2024: 229 Thousand persons2025: 207.4 Thousand persons

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark stood at 207.4 Thousand persons. That is the lowest value across all 43 years on record.

The figure is down 9.4% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark peaked at 278.6 Thousand persons in 1983 and was at its lowest, 207.4 Thousand persons, in 2025.

Denmark ranks 24th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 250.04 Thousand persons 236.8 Thousand persons 278.6 Thousand persons 7
1990s 227.37 Thousand persons 212.9 Thousand persons 252.1 Thousand persons 10
2000s 228.87 Thousand persons 216.6 Thousand persons 249.7 Thousand persons 10
2010s 230.8 Thousand persons 219 Thousand persons 237.9 Thousand persons 10
2020s 230.08 Thousand persons 207.4 Thousand persons 238.2 Thousand persons 6

Countries ranked near Denmark

  1. 21 Ireland 350.2 Thousand persons compare
  2. 22 Finland 304.4 Thousand persons compare
  3. 23 Croatia 211.6 Thousand persons compare
  4. 25 Lithuania 158.5 Thousand persons compare
  5. 26 Norway 151.6 Thousand persons compare
  6. 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 140.3 Thousand persons compare

See the full ranking of 38 places →

More work & labour data for Denmark

All data for Denmark →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark?
Self-employed persons by occupation in Denmark was 207.4 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Denmark?
The highest recorded value was 278.6 Thousand persons in 1983.
What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Denmark?
The lowest recorded value was 207.4 Thousand persons in 2025.
How does Denmark rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
Denmark ranks 24th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed persons by occupation rising or falling in Denmark?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Denmark data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Self-employed persons by occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed persons by occupation
Unit
Thousand persons
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
38 places, 1,169 data points, 1983–2025
Last refreshed