Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin
Benin: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 79.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Benin recorded 79.8% 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 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin peaked at 87.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 79.8%, in 2025.
Benin ranks 17th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 87.1% | — |
| 1992 | 87.0% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 86.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 86.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 86.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 86.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 86.3% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 86.2% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 86.1% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 85.9% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 85.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 85.6% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 85.4% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 85.3% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 85.2% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 85.1% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 85.0% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 84.9% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 84.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 84.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 84.4% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 84.3% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 84.0% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 83.4% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 83.1% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 82.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 83.1% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 81.9% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 80.8% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 80.5% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 80.2% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 79.8% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.6% | 86.1% | 87.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 85.3% | 84.8% | 85.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.9% | 82.7% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.1% | 79.8% | 83.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More work & labour data for Benin
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4203 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.395 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4457 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3247 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 15,661 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,269 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,967 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 19,620 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 39,588 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Benin was 79.8% 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 Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 87.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.8% in 2025.
- How does Benin rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Benin ranks 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin 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.