Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Colombia
Colombia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 45.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Colombia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Colombia recorded 45.6% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Colombia peaked at 50.1% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 42.2%, in 2005.
Colombia ranks 64th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Colombia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 43.5% | — |
| 1992 | 43.4% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 43.2% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 43.6% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 43.1% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 43.1% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 43.1% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 42.6% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 42.9% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 42.9% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 43.1% | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 43.2% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 43.0% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 43.7% | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 42.2% | -3.5% |
| 2006 | 43.8% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 43.4% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 48.1% | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 50.1% | +4.1% |
| 2010 | 49.9% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 50.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 49.6% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 48.7% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 47.8% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 47.5% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 47.5% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 47.7% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 48.0% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 46.1% | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 47.3% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 47.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 47.1% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 46.6% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 45.7% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 45.6% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.1% | 42.6% | 43.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 44.4% | 42.2% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.3% | 46.1% | 50.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.6% | 45.6% | 47.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Colombia
More work & labour data for Colombia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.7218 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6981 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7453 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1417 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 48,629 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 6,104 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 23,624 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 23,456 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 47,081 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Colombia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Colombia was 45.6% 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 Colombia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.1% in 2009.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Colombia?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.2% in 2005.
- How does Colombia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Colombia ranks 64th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Colombia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Colombia 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.