Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bhutan
Bhutan: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 69.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bhutan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Bhutan recorded 69.5% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bhutan peaked at 78.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 69.2%, in 2010.
That places Bhutan 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Bhutan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 78.0% | — |
| 1992 | 77.5% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 77.1% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 76.6% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 76.1% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 75.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 75.2% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 74.8% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 74.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 73.9% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 73.4% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 72.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 72.4% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 71.9% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 71.4% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 71.0% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 70.6% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 69.7% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 69.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 71.1% | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 70.9% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 71.0% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 71.1% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 73.0% | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 72.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 72.1% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 71.8% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 71.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 71.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 70.8% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 70.6% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 70.2% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 69.5% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.1% | 74.3% | 78.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 71.7% | 69.7% | 73.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.4% | 69.2% | 73.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.4% | 69.5% | 71.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bhutan
More work & labour data for Bhutan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7164 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6963 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7381 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.816 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9406 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 573.27 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 420.94 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 334.32 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 356.11 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 690.43 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bhutan?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bhutan was 69.5% 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 Bhutan?
- The highest recorded value was 78.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bhutan?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.2% in 2010.
- How does Bhutan rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Bhutan ranks 34th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bhutan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bhutan 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.