Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados
Barbados: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 19.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Barbados recorded 19.5% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados peaked at 20.6% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.3%, in 1997.
That places Barbados 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 12.7% | — |
| 1992 | 13.0% | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +8.9% |
| 1994 | 13.0% | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 13.0% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 12.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 12.3% | -4.4% |
| 1998 | 12.7% | +3.6% |
| 1999 | 14.1% | +10.7% |
| 2000 | 12.8% | -9.4% |
| 2001 | 14.1% | +10.8% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 14.5% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 15.4% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 15.5% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 15.7% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 15.9% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 16.5% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 16.7% | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 17.1% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 17.3% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 17.2% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 18.2% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 19.6% | +8.1% |
| 2018 | 20.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 20.6% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 19.5% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 19.7% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 20.0% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 19.8% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.1% | 12.3% | 14.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 12.8% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.0% | 16.5% | 20.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.8% | 19.5% | 20.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Barbados
More work & labour data for Barbados
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7079 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6853 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7302 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9854 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.8257 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 114.42 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 165.89 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 97.75 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 96.95 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 194.7 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Barbados was 19.5% 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 Barbados?
- The highest recorded value was 20.6% in 2019.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Barbados?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.3% in 1997.
- How does Barbados rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Barbados ranks 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Barbados?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Barbados 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.