Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 22.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina is 22.1%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina peaked at 35.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 20.5%, in 2018.
Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks 124th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 35.5% | — |
| 1992 | 35.4% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 34.6% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 34.0% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 32.9% | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 31.8% | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 30.7% | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 29.8% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 29.0% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 28.5% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | -1.7% |
| 2003 | 27.5% | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 27.0% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 26.6% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 25.7% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 24.4% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 24.6% | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 22.2% | -9.7% |
| 2015 | 23.3% | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 23.5% | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 20.5% | -13.5% |
| 2019 | 24.0% | +17.3% |
| 2020 | 23.7% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 23.4% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 23.1% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 22.7% | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 22.4% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 22.1% | -1.4% |
Bosnia and Herzegovina compared with similar countries
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's 22.1% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 32.4%, 68% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina's 22.1% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 14.6%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.3% | 29.8% | 35.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.3% | 26.1% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.8% | 20.5% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.9% | 22.1% | 23.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Bosnia and Herzegovina
More work & labour data for Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2135 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,976 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,082 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 676.82 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 689.64 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1,366 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Bosnia and Herzegovina was 22.1% 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 Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- The highest recorded value was 35.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.5% in 2018.
- How does Bosnia and Herzegovina rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Bosnia and Herzegovina ranks 124th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Bosnia and Herzegovina?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bosnia and Herzegovina 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.