Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Botswana
Botswana: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 28.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Botswana, 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 Botswana is 28.1%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Botswana peaked at 30.8% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 19.7%, in 1996.
That places Botswana 105th 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 Botswana, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 20.4% | — |
| 1992 | 20.2% | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 20.0% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 19.9% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 19.8% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 19.7% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 20.4% | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 21.0% | +3.3% |
| 1999 | 21.7% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 22.3% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 23.7% | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 25.4% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 26.3% | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 27.3% | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 28.3% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 29.3% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 30.4% | +3.8% |
| 2010 | 30.5% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 30.6% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 30.8% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 30.8% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 30.6% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 30.4% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 30.0% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 29.8% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 29.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 29.0% | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 28.6% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 28.4% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 28.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 28.2% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 28.1% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 20.4% | 19.7% | 21.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.0% | 22.3% | 30.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.3% | 29.6% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.4% | 28.1% | 29.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Botswana
More work & labour data for Botswana
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.146 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1401 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1516 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.9387 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.07 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 2,871 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 550.66 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,969 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,868 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,837 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Botswana?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Botswana was 28.1% 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 Botswana?
- The highest recorded value was 30.8% in 2013.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Botswana?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.7% in 1996.
- How does Botswana rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Botswana ranks 105th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Botswana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Botswana 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.