Self-employed persons by occupation in France
France: Self-employed persons by occupation 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
2,292 Thousand persons
in 2002
Years of data
43
1983–2025
Self-employed persons by occupation in France, 1983–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.
Analysis
France recorded 3,865 Thousand persons for self-employed persons by occupation in 2025. That is the highest value across all 43 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 occupation in France peaked at 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2,292 Thousand persons, in 2002.
France ranks 5th of 45 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Self-employed persons by occupation in France, year by year
| Year | Thousand persons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 2,712 Thousand persons | — |
| 1984 | 2,757 Thousand persons | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 2,668 Thousand persons | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 2,703 Thousand persons | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 2,684 Thousand persons | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 2,735 Thousand persons | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 2,691 Thousand persons | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 2,796 Thousand persons | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 2,765 Thousand persons | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 2,741 Thousand persons | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 2,561 Thousand persons | -6.6% |
| 1994 | 2,541 Thousand persons | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 2,534 Thousand persons | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 2,489 Thousand persons | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 2,454 Thousand persons | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 2,423 Thousand persons | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 2,395 Thousand persons | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 2,338 Thousand persons | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 2,310 Thousand persons | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 2,292 Thousand persons | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 2,518 Thousand persons | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 2,419 Thousand persons | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 2,470 Thousand persons | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 2,616 Thousand persons | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 2,627 Thousand persons | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 2,564 Thousand persons | -2.4% |
| 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% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 3,865 Thousand persons is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 425.95 Thousand persons, 9.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
- France's 3,865 Thousand persons is above the median for high income countries, which is 478.5 Thousand persons, 8.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2,707 Thousand persons | 2,668 Thousand persons | 2,757 Thousand persons | 7 |
| 1990s | 2,570 Thousand persons | 2,395 Thousand persons | 2,796 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,479 Thousand persons | 2,292 Thousand persons | 2,641 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 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
More work & labour data for France
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0063 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3323 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 62,374 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,235 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 35,191 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,294 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 68,485 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed persons by occupation in France?
- Self-employed persons by occupation in France was 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in France?
- The highest recorded value was 3,865 Thousand persons in 2025.
- What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,292 Thousand persons in 2002.
- How does France rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
- France ranks 5th out of 45 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed persons by occupation 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 occupation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat).