Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics
Central Europe and the Baltics: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 15.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics stood at 15.6%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 20.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics peaked at 26.3% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 15.6%, in 2025.
That places Central Europe and the Baltics 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 23.1% | — |
| 1992 | 24.5% | +5.9% |
| 1993 | 24.9% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 25.0% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 24.9% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 25.0% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 25.1% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 25.3% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 25.8% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 26.2% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 26.3% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 24.9% | -5.5% |
| 2003 | 24.6% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 23.5% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 22.9% | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 22.0% | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 21.5% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 21.0% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 21.2% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 21.9% | +3.3% |
| 2011 | 21.4% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 20.7% | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 18.9% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 18.3% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 17.9% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 18.1% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 17.4% | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 16.5% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 15.8% | -4.1% |
| 2025 | 15.6% | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.8% | 23.1% | 25.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 23.4% | 21.0% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.9% | 17.9% | 21.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 15.6% | 18.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Central Europe and the Baltics
- 38 Azerbaijan 67.0% compare
- 39 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 66.3% compare
- 40 Myanmar 65.5% compare
- 41 Kenya 64.8% compare
- 42 Senegal 64.3% compare
- 43 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 62.1% compare
- 44 Malawi 61.3% compare
More work & labour data for Central Europe and the Baltics
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 57.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 29.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 68.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 32.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 25.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 64.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 50.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Central Europe and the Baltics was 15.6% 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 Central Europe and the Baltics?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 2001.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Central Europe and the Baltics?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.6% in 2025.
- How does Central Europe and the Baltics rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Central Europe and the Baltics ranks 41st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Central Europe and the Baltics?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Central Europe and the Baltics 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.