Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize

Belize: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 35.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
35.2%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
89th
of 186 countries
All-time high
36.0%
in 2020
All-time low
30.7%
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize, 1991–2025

0102030401991200820251991: 33.11992: 331993: 331994: 331995: 331996: 35.51997: 35.21998: 34.91999: 34.42000: 33.82001: 33.42002: 332003: 32.82004: 32.42005: 322006: 31.82007: 31.82008: 31.82009: 322010: 32.12011: 32.12012: 32.32013: 32.42014: 30.72015: 32.52016: 33.52017: 33.32018: 31.42019: 35.22020: 362021: 35.62022: 35.42023: 35.52024: 35.32025: 35.2

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize stood at 35.2%.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize peaked at 36.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30.7%, in 2014.

That places Belize 89th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Belize, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 33.1%
1992 33.0% -0.3%
1993 33.0% -0.2%
1994 33.0% +0.1%
1995 33.0% -0.0%
1996 35.5% +7.6%
1997 35.2% -0.8%
1998 34.9% -1.0%
1999 34.4% -1.2%
2000 33.8% -1.8%
2001 33.4% -1.2%
2002 33.0% -1.2%
2003 32.8% -0.8%
2004 32.4% -1.2%
2005 32.0% -1.2%
2006 31.8% -0.4%
2007 31.8% -0.0%
2008 31.8% -0.2%
2009 32.0% +0.6%
2010 32.1% +0.3%
2011 32.1% +0.1%
2012 32.3% +0.7%
2013 32.4% +0.1%
2014 30.7% -5.0%
2015 32.5% +5.6%
2016 33.5% +3.2%
2017 33.3% -0.7%
2018 31.4% -5.6%
2019 35.2% +12.1%
2020 36.0% +2.1%
2021 35.6% -1.1%
2022 35.4% -0.5%
2023 35.5% +0.4%
2024 35.3% -0.5%
2025 35.2% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 33.9% 33.0% 35.5% 9
2000s 32.5% 31.8% 33.8% 10
2010s 32.6% 30.7% 35.2% 10
2020s 35.5% 35.2% 36.0% 6

Countries ranked near Belize

  1. 86 Philippines 36.1% compare
  2. 87 Jamaica 35.7% compare
  3. 88 El Salvador 35.7% compare
  4. 90 Fiji 34.1% compare
  5. 91 Armenia 33.7% compare
  6. 92 Gabon 32.4% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Belize

All data for Belize →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize was 35.2% 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 Belize?
The highest recorded value was 36.0% in 2020.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Belize?
The lowest recorded value was 30.7% in 2014.
How does Belize rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Belize ranks 89th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Belize?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Belize 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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Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Belize. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/belize/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,176 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.