Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador
El Salvador: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 35.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador stood at 35.7%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.0% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador peaked at 43.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 35.7%, in 2025.
That places El Salvador 88th 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 El Salvador, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 41.6% | — |
| 1992 | 41.5% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 41.1% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 43.5% | +5.9% |
| 1995 | 43.0% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 43.4% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 42.8% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 42.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 42.6% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 43.1% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 43.5% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 41.9% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 41.1% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 42.9% | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | -4.8% |
| 2007 | 41.4% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 41.6% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 42.0% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 41.8% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 41.7% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 41.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 41.9% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | -5.6% |
| 2015 | 40.4% | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 40.0% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 40.3% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 38.9% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 39.1% | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 38.8% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 36.5% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 36.3% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 36.0% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 35.7% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.5% | 41.1% | 43.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 42.1% | 40.8% | 43.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.5% | 38.9% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.7% | 35.7% | 38.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near El Salvador
More work & labour data for El Salvador
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.8531 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.8121 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.893 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.2563 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 5,984 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,013 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,591 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,482 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,073 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in El Salvador was 35.7% 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 El Salvador?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in El Salvador?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.7% in 2025.
- How does El Salvador rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- El Salvador ranks 88th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in El Salvador?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this El Salvador 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.