Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia
Australia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 16.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Australia recorded 16.1% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia peaked at 22.0% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 16.1%, in 2025.
Australia ranks 140th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 21.9% | — |
| 1992 | 22.0% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 22.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 21.8% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 21.6% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 21.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 21.4% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 21.1% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 20.9% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 20.7% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 20.2% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 19.1% | -5.6% |
| 2004 | 19.8% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 18.8% | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 18.7% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 17.0% | -9.1% |
| 2008 | 16.5% | -3.0% |
| 2009 | 17.4% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 17.2% | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 17.6% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 16.7% | -5.2% |
| 2013 | 16.8% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 16.6% | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 16.8% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 16.7% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 16.8% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 16.5% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 16.3% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 16.2% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 16.1% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.6% | 20.9% | 22.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 16.5% | 20.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.9% | 16.6% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.4% | 16.1% | 16.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 137 Switzerland 16.9% compare
- 138 Netherlands 16.8% compare
- 139 North Macedonia 16.6% compare
- 141 Czechia 15.7% compare
- 142 Guam 15.5% compare
- 143 Slovakia 14.9% compare
More work & labour data for Australia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4907 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5202 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9895 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8931 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 30,186 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3,001 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,642 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 21,502 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 43,144 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Australia was 16.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.0% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.1% in 2025.
- How does Australia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Australia ranks 140th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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.