Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany
Germany: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 8.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany stood at 8.1%. 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 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany peaked at 12.4% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 8.1%, in 2025.
Germany ranks 172nd 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 Germany, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.7% | — |
| 1992 | 10.0% | +3.7% |
| 1993 | 10.3% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 10.6% | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 10.7% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 10.6% | -0.8% |
| 1997 | 10.9% | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 11.0% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 10.8% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 10.9% | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 11.1% | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 11.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 11.4% | +2.5% |
| 2004 | 12.1% | +6.2% |
| 2005 | 12.3% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 12.4% | +1.3% |
| 2007 | 11.9% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 11.5% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 11.2% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 11.6% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 10.9% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 10.7% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 10.3% | -2.3% |
| 2018 | 9.9% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 9.6% | -3.5% |
| 2020 | 8.9% | -7.3% |
| 2021 | 9.0% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 8.5% | -5.6% |
| 2023 | 8.3% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 8.2% | -1.4% |
| 2025 | 8.1% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.5% | 9.7% | 11.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 10.9% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 9.6% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.5% | 8.1% | 9.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More work & labour data for Germany
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0436 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0549 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0388 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 66,826 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 12,413 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 35,391 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 35,508 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 70,900 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Germany was 8.1% 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 Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 12.4% in 2006.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.1% in 2025.
- How does Germany rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Germany ranks 172nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany 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
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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.