Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia
Europe & Central Asia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 16.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Europe & Central Asia recorded 16.7% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. 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 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia peaked at 21.6% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 16.7%, in 2025.
That places Europe & Central Asia 40th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.9% | — |
| 1992 | 20.3% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 20.6% | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 21.1% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 21.3% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 21.3% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 21.6% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 21.6% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 21.3% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 21.0% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 20.9% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 20.4% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 19.6% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 19.4% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 19.0% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 18.8% | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 18.9% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 19.0% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 19.0% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 18.8% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 18.8% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 18.7% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 18.3% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 18.1% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 17.9% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 17.7% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 16.8% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 16.7% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 16.7% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.0% | 19.9% | 21.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.8% | 18.8% | 21.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.5% | 17.7% | 19.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.7% | 17.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia
- 37 Ghana 67.5% compare
- 38 Azerbaijan 67.0% compare
- 39 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 66.3% compare
- 40 Myanmar 65.5% compare
- 41 Kenya 64.8% compare
- 42 Senegal 64.3% compare
- 43 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 62.1% compare
More work & labour data for Europe & Central Asia
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 58.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 65.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 35.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 44.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 40.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.3% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 66.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 72.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia was 16.7% 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 Europe & Central Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 1997.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Europe & Central Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.7% in 2025.
- How does Europe & Central Asia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Europe & Central Asia ranks 40th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia 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.