Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt
Egypt: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 27.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt is 27.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt peaked at 35.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 26.2%, in 2022.
That places Egypt 109th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Egypt, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 35.9% | — |
| 1992 | 35.8% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 35.9% | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 35.3% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 34.6% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 33.2% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 31.7% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 31.9% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 30.6% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 30.2% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 31.5% | +4.4% |
| 2003 | 33.8% | +7.4% |
| 2004 | 35.2% | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 31.7% | -10.0% |
| 2006 | 29.9% | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 33.1% | +11.0% |
| 2008 | 32.7% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 32.1% | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 30.5% | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 31.6% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 30.2% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 31.6% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 31.9% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 30.1% | -5.5% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 31.9% | +5.9% |
| 2018 | 31.3% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 28.9% | -7.6% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 26.2% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 27.3% | +4.5% |
| 2024 | 27.1% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 27.0% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.9% | 30.6% | 35.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 32.2% | 29.9% | 35.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.8% | 28.9% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.1% | 26.2% | 27.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Egypt
- 106 Uruguay 28.0% compare
- 107 Equatorial Guinea 27.5% compare
- 108 Serbia 27.0% compare
- 110 Saint Lucia 26.7% compare
- 111 Costa Rica 26.6% compare
- 112 Kazakhstan 26.1% compare
More work & labour data for Egypt
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0535 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0709 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0359 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3894 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 85,321 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 68,113 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 100,315 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 101,580 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 201,895 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Egypt was 27.0% 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 Egypt?
- The highest recorded value was 35.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Egypt?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.2% in 2022.
- How does Egypt rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Egypt ranks 109th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Egypt?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Egypt 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.