Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend
Early-demographic dividend: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 59.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend stood at 59.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend peaked at 70.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 59.4%, in 2025.
Early-demographic dividend ranks 16th of 47 groups 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 Early-demographic dividend, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 70.2% | — |
| 1992 | 70.1% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 70.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 69.7% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 69.6% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 69.3% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 68.8% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 68.9% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 68.7% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 68.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 68.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 67.9% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 67.6% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 66.9% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 66.2% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 65.9% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 65.5% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 65.3% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 64.8% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 63.8% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 62.7% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 62.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 61.4% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 61.0% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 60.7% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 60.4% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 60.3% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 60.8% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 60.4% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 60.4% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 60.1% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 59.7% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 59.4% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 69.5% | 68.7% | 70.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 67.0% | 65.3% | 68.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.0% | 60.3% | 64.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.1% | 59.4% | 60.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Early-demographic dividend
- 13 Burkina Faso 82.6% compare
- 14 South Sudan 82.5% compare
- 15 Guinea 81.9% compare
- 16 Uganda 80.5% compare
- 17 Benin 79.8% compare
- 18 Papua New Guinea 78.7% compare
- 19 Nepal 78.6% compare
More work & labour data for Early-demographic dividend
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 36.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 50.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 37.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 60.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 39.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 24.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 48.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 56.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Early-demographic dividend was 59.4% 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 Early-demographic dividend?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Early-demographic dividend?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.4% in 2025.
- How does Early-demographic dividend rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Early-demographic dividend ranks 16th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Early-demographic dividend?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Early-demographic dividend 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.