Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cape Verde
Cape Verde: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 38.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cape Verde, 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 Cape Verde is 38.5%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cape Verde peaked at 52.7% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 38.5%, in 2025.
Cape Verde ranks 83rd of 186 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 Cape Verde, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 52.7% | — |
| 1992 | 52.3% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 51.9% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 51.2% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 50.5% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 49.6% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 48.8% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 48.0% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 47.1% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 46.2% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 45.6% | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 45.0% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 44.5% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 44.1% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 43.7% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 43.2% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 42.6% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 42.0% | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 41.5% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 41.2% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 40.9% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 40.7% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 40.5% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 40.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 40.2% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 40.7% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 41.1% | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 40.1% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 40.5% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 40.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 39.7% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 38.9% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 38.5% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.2% | 47.1% | 52.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 43.8% | 41.5% | 46.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 40.1% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 38.5% | 40.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Cape Verde
More work & labour data for Cape Verde
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 176.12 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 57.01 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 233.52 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 50.08 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.57 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 1.53 % change on previous year (2027)
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 57.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cape Verde?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cape Verde was 38.5% 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 Cape Verde?
- The highest recorded value was 52.7% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Cape Verde?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.5% in 2025.
- How does Cape Verde rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Cape Verde ranks 83rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Cape Verde?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cape Verde 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.