Self-employed persons by occupation in Portugal
Portugal: Self-employed persons by occupation was 751.5 Thousand persons in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed persons by occupation in Portugal, 1986–2025
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Thousand persons.
Analysis
Portugal recorded 751.5 Thousand persons for self-employed persons by occupation in 2025.
That represents a change of up 5.0% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed persons by occupation in Portugal peaked at 1,250 Thousand persons in 1991 and was at its lowest, 687.1 Thousand persons, in 2021.
Portugal ranks 12th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 40 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,148 Thousand persons | 1,085 Thousand persons | 1,177 Thousand persons | 4 |
| 1990s | 1,144 Thousand persons | 1,049 Thousand persons | 1,250 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,157 Thousand persons | 1,061 Thousand persons | 1,247 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2010s | 817.68 Thousand persons | 734.8 Thousand persons | 993 Thousand persons | 10 |
| 2020s | 713.83 Thousand persons | 687.1 Thousand persons | 751.5 Thousand persons | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More work & labour data for Portugal
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 62.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 87.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 54.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 77.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed persons by occupation in Portugal?
- Self-employed persons by occupation in Portugal was 751.5 Thousand persons in 2025, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 1,250 Thousand persons in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed persons by occupation recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 687.1 Thousand persons in 2021.
- How does Portugal rank for self-employed persons by occupation?
- Portugal ranks 12th out of 36 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed persons by occupation rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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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