Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 61.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh is 61.0%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh peaked at 68.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 60.6%, in 2019.
Bangladesh ranks 45th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.7% | — |
| 1992 | 68.5% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 68.2% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 68.0% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 67.7% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 67.5% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 67.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 67.0% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 66.7% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 66.4% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 66.1% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 65.8% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 65.5% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 65.1% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 64.7% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 64.4% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 63.9% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 63.4% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 62.9% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 62.3% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 62.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 61.9% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 61.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 61.4% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 61.1% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 60.9% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 60.7% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 60.6% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 60.6% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 61.5% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 61.7% | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 61.6% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 61.9% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 61.4% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 61.0% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 67.7% | 66.7% | 68.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 64.8% | 62.9% | 66.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.3% | 60.6% | 62.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.5% | 61.0% | 61.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More work & labour data for Bangladesh
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.4985 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4763 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5215 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 117,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 84,090 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 104,333 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 104,263 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 208,597 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bangladesh was 61.0% 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 Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 68.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.6% in 2019.
- How does Bangladesh rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Bangladesh ranks 45th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh 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.