Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia
Gambia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 68.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Gambia recorded 68.6% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia peaked at 79.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 68.6%, in 2025.
Gambia ranks 36th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 79.1% | — |
| 1992 | 78.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 78.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 78.7% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 78.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 78.5% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 78.4% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 78.3% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 78.1% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 77.8% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 77.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 77.4% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 77.3% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 77.1% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 76.9% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 76.9% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 76.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 76.7% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 76.5% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 76.1% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 76.0% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 75.8% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 75.1% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 74.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 73.7% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 73.0% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 72.3% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 71.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 70.7% | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 71.7% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 70.8% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 70.0% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 69.2% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 69.0% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 68.6% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.6% | 78.1% | 79.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 77.1% | 76.5% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.9% | 70.7% | 76.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.9% | 68.6% | 71.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 33 Solomon Islands 69.9% compare
- 34 Bhutan 69.5% compare
- 35 Cameroon 69.3% compare
- 37 Ghana 67.5% compare
- 38 Azerbaijan 67.0% compare
- 39 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 66.3% compare
More work & labour data for Gambia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0232 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0132 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0328 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0501 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,523 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,039 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,898 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,805 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,703 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Gambia was 68.6% 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 Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 79.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.6% in 2025.
- How does Gambia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Gambia ranks 36th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia 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.