Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark
Denmark: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 7.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark stood at 7.9%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark peaked at 10.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7.9%, in 2025.
Denmark ranks 173rd of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Denmark, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.8% | — |
| 1992 | 10.7% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 10.8% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 9.9% | -8.2% |
| 1995 | 9.5% | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 9.3% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 9.4% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 9.7% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 9.3% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 9.2% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 8.9% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 8.9% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 9.2% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 8.9% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 9.1% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 9.0% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 9.2% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 9.7% | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 9.2% | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 9.1% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 9.3% | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 9.1% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 9.0% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 8.9% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 8.8% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 8.1% | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 8.5% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 8.8% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 8.3% | -6.4% |
| 2023 | 8.2% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 8.0% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 7.9% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.9% | 9.3% | 10.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 9.1% | 8.8% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 8.1% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Denmark
More work & labour data for Denmark
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1261 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1196 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1326 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.51 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3351 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,829 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 485.03 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,899 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,964 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,863 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Denmark was 7.9% 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 Denmark?
- The highest recorded value was 10.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Denmark?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.9% in 2025.
- How does Denmark rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Denmark ranks 173rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Denmark?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Denmark 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.