Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba

Cuba: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 24.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
24.9%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
119th
of 186 countries
All-time high
27.0%
in 2019
All-time low
7.2%
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba, 1991–2025

5101520251991200820251991: 7.21992: 7.51993: 81994: 7.71995: 7.71996: 7.41997: 8.41998: 9.61999: 11.12000: 11.62001: 12.82002: 12.92003: 13.92004: 14.22005: 13.92006: 12.62007: 11.92008: 12.22009: 11.72010: 11.82011: 18.52012: 20.52013: 21.62014: 23.12015: 24.42016: 25.62017: 26.92018: 26.82019: 272020: 26.52021: 262022: 25.82023: 24.92024: 24.92025: 24.9

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba is 24.9%, measured in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba peaked at 27.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 1991.

Cuba ranks 119th 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 Cuba, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Cuba, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 7.2%
1992 7.5% +5.2%
1993 8.0% +6.6%
1994 7.7% -3.8%
1995 7.7% -0.3%
1996 7.4% -3.9%
1997 8.4% +13.9%
1998 9.6% +13.9%
1999 11.1% +15.3%
2000 11.6% +4.8%
2001 12.8% +10.5%
2002 12.9% +0.4%
2003 13.9% +8.1%
2004 14.2% +2.1%
2005 13.9% -2.2%
2006 12.6% -9.2%
2007 11.9% -5.5%
2008 12.2% +2.2%
2009 11.7% -4.2%
2010 11.8% +1.4%
2011 18.5% +56.7%
2012 20.5% +10.7%
2013 21.6% +5.5%
2014 23.1% +6.7%
2015 24.4% +5.8%
2016 25.6% +5.0%
2017 26.9% +4.9%
2018 26.8% -0.2%
2019 27.0% +0.5%
2020 26.5% -1.7%
2021 26.0% -1.8%
2022 25.8% -1.0%
2023 24.9% -3.3%
2024 24.9% +0.0%
2025 24.9% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 8.3% 7.2% 11.1% 9
2000s 12.8% 11.6% 14.2% 10
2010s 22.6% 11.8% 27.0% 10
2020s 25.5% 24.9% 26.5% 6

Countries ranked near Cuba

  1. 116 Argentina 25.6% compare
  2. 117 Malaysia 25.4% compare
  3. 118 Tunisia 24.9% compare
  4. 120 Chile 23.9% compare
  5. 121 Palestine, State of 23.8% compare
  6. 122 Republic of Korea 22.7% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Cuba

All data for Cuba →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba was 24.9% 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 Cuba?
The highest recorded value was 27.0% in 2019.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Cuba?
The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 1991.
How does Cuba rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Cuba ranks 119th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Cuba?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Cuba 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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Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Cuba. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/cuba/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,176 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.