Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in France
France: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 13.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in France, 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 France is 13.3%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 14.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in France peaked at 15.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 10.6%, in 2008.
France ranks 153rd of 186 countries on this measure, 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 France, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15.2% | — |
| 1992 | 15.0% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 14.1% | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 14.1% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 13.6% | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 13.2% | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 12.9% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 12.4% | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 12.1% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 11.4% | -6.3% |
| 2001 | 10.9% | -4.5% |
| 2002 | 10.7% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 11.2% | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 11.0% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 10.9% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 11.4% | +4.5% |
| 2007 | 11.0% | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 10.6% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 11.0% | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 11.5% | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 11.5% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 11.3% | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 11.6% | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 11.6% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 11.6% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 11.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 12.1% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 12.4% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 12.6% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 13.1% | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 12.9% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 13.3% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 13.3% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.6% | 12.1% | 15.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.6% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.6% | 11.3% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.9% | 12.4% | 13.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near France
More work & labour data for France
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.028 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0507 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0063 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.62 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.3323 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 62,374 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,235 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 35,191 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,294 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 68,485 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in France?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in France was 13.3% 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 15.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.6% in 2008.
- How does France rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- France ranks 153rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.