Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 82.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso stood at 82.6%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso peaked at 86.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 82.6%, in 2025.
Burkina Faso ranks 13th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 86.0% | — |
| 1992 | 85.9% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 85.8% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 85.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 85.7% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 85.5% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 85.2% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 84.9% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 84.6% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 84.3% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 84.1% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 83.8% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 83.1% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 82.8% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 82.9% | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 82.9% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2013 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 82.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 82.9% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 82.9% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 82.8% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 84.2% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 83.4% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 82.8% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 82.8% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 82.6% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 85.5% | 84.6% | 86.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 83.4% | 82.8% | 84.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 82.8% | 82.8% | 82.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 83.1% | 82.6% | 84.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More work & labour data for Burkina Faso
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.016 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0657 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6828 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 21,677 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 21,530 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 25,421 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 24,433 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 49,854 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso was 82.6% 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 Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 82.6% in 2025.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Burkina Faso ranks 13th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Burkina Faso 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.