Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi
Burundi: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 84.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Burundi recorded 84.9% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi peaked at 87.9% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 84.9%, in 2025.
That places Burundi 10th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 86.5% | — |
| 1992 | 86.4% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 86.5% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 86.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 86.8% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 87.2% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 87.4% | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 87.6% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 87.7% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 87.8% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 87.9% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 87.9% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 87.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 87.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 87.9% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 87.9% | -0.0% |
| 2007 | 87.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 87.8% | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 87.8% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 87.7% | -0.0% |
| 2011 | 87.7% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 87.5% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 87.4% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 87.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 86.9% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 86.6% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 86.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.0% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 85.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 85.5% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 85.0% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 85.0% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 85.0% | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 84.9% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 84.9% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 87.0% | 86.4% | 87.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 87.9% | 87.8% | 87.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.9% | 85.7% | 87.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.0% | 84.9% | 85.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
- 7 Tanzania, United Republic of 85.3% compare
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 85.1% compare
- 11 Ethiopia 84.3% compare
- 12 Afghanistan 83.4% compare
- 13 Burkina Faso 82.6% compare
More work & labour data for Burundi
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2923 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.2698 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3134 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 4.44 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,183 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 18,579 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,365 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,509 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,874 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Burundi was 84.9% 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 Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 87.9% in 2004.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.9% in 2025.
- How does Burundi rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Burundi ranks 10th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Burundi 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.