Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 84.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, 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 Ethiopia is 84.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia peaked at 91.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 84.3%, in 2025.
That places Ethiopia 11th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 90.1% | — |
| 1992 | 90.4% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 90.5% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 90.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 90.5% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 90.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 90.3% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 90.3% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 90.3% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 90.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 90.6% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 90.7% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 91.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 91.1% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 91.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 90.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 90.6% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 90.2% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 89.8% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 89.4% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 89.0% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 88.6% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 88.2% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 87.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 87.2% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 86.7% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 86.2% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 85.8% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 85.4% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 85.9% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 85.5% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 85.2% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 84.9% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 84.6% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 84.3% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 90.4% | 90.1% | 90.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 90.7% | 89.8% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.4% | 85.4% | 89.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.1% | 84.3% | 85.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 85.1% compare
- 10 Burundi 84.9% compare
- 12 Afghanistan 83.4% compare
- 13 Burkina Faso 82.6% compare
- 14 South Sudan 82.5% compare
More work & labour data for Ethiopia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4959 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4604 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.1765 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 74,537 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 116,333 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 183,282 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 184,008 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 367,290 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Ethiopia was 84.3% 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 Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 91.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 84.3% in 2025.
- How does Ethiopia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Ethiopia ranks 11th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia 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.