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

Eritrea: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 52.4% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
52.4%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
55th
of 186 countries
All-time high
56.0%
in 1991
All-time low
52.4%
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025

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

02040601991200820251991: 561992: 561993: 55.81994: 55.41995: 551996: 54.71997: 54.31998: 54.11999: 53.92000: 53.92001: 53.72002: 53.62003: 53.62004: 53.62005: 53.62006: 53.62007: 53.52008: 53.62009: 53.72010: 53.72011: 53.62012: 53.52013: 53.62014: 53.22015: 53.22016: 53.12017: 53.22018: 53.12019: 52.92020: 53.62021: 53.12022: 532023: 52.82024: 52.62025: 52.4

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

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Eritrea stood at 52.4%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Eritrea peaked at 56.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 52.4%, in 2025.

That places Eritrea 55th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Eritrea, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Eritrea, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 56.0%
1992 56.0% -0.1%
1993 55.8% -0.3%
1994 55.4% -0.7%
1995 55.0% -0.6%
1996 54.7% -0.6%
1997 54.3% -0.7%
1998 54.1% -0.4%
1999 53.9% -0.3%
2000 53.9% -0.1%
2001 53.7% -0.3%
2002 53.6% -0.2%
2003 53.6% +0.1%
2004 53.6% +0.0%
2005 53.6% -0.1%
2006 53.6% +0.0%
2007 53.5% -0.1%
2008 53.6% +0.1%
2009 53.7% +0.3%
2010 53.7% -0.0%
2011 53.6% -0.2%
2012 53.5% -0.2%
2013 53.6% +0.1%
2014 53.2% -0.7%
2015 53.2% +0.0%
2016 53.1% -0.2%
2017 53.2% +0.1%
2018 53.1% -0.2%
2019 52.9% -0.3%
2020 53.6% +1.2%
2021 53.1% -0.8%
2022 53.0% -0.3%
2023 52.8% -0.4%
2024 52.6% -0.4%
2025 52.4% -0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 55.0% 53.9% 56.0% 9
2000s 53.6% 53.5% 53.9% 10
2010s 53.3% 52.9% 53.7% 10
2020s 52.9% 52.4% 53.6% 6

Countries ranked near Eritrea

  1. 52 Vietnam 53.3% compare
  2. 53 Indonesia 53.3% compare
  3. 54 Yemen 52.6% compare
  4. 56 Ecuador 52.3% compare
  5. 57 Somalia 52.2% compare
  6. 58 Peru 51.3% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Eritrea

All data for Eritrea →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Eritrea?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Eritrea was 52.4% 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 Eritrea?
The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 1991.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Eritrea?
The lowest recorded value was 52.4% in 2025.
How does Eritrea rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Eritrea ranks 55th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Eritrea?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Eritrea 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 Eritrea. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/eritrea/

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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.