Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala

Guatemala: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 39.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
39.1%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
81st
of 186 countries
All-time high
46.2%
in 2021
All-time low
36.6%
in 2019
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala, 1991–2025

010203040501991200820251991: 41.91992: 41.71993: 41.61994: 41.51995: 41.41996: 41.51997: 41.51998: 41.41999: 41.92000: 42.52001: 42.42002: 42.22003: 42.12004: 41.92005: 41.82006: 41.62007: 41.32008: 41.12009: 412010: 40.82011: 36.82012: 41.12013: 40.92014: 40.72015: 39.72016: 37.62017: 40.52018: 40.62019: 36.62020: 41.72021: 46.22022: 43.92023: 39.52024: 39.32025: 39.1

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala stood at 39.1%.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala peaked at 46.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 2019.

Guatemala ranks 81st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Guatemala, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 41.9%
1992 41.7% -0.3%
1993 41.6% -0.3%
1994 41.5% -0.3%
1995 41.4% -0.1%
1996 41.5% +0.2%
1997 41.5% -0.1%
1998 41.4% -0.2%
1999 41.9% +1.3%
2000 42.5% +1.3%
2001 42.4% -0.4%
2002 42.2% -0.4%
2003 42.1% -0.3%
2004 41.9% -0.3%
2005 41.8% -0.3%
2006 41.6% -0.4%
2007 41.3% -0.6%
2008 41.1% -0.6%
2009 41.0% -0.3%
2010 40.8% -0.4%
2011 36.8% -9.7%
2012 41.1% +11.5%
2013 40.9% -0.4%
2014 40.7% -0.5%
2015 39.7% -2.6%
2016 37.6% -5.1%
2017 40.5% +7.5%
2018 40.6% +0.3%
2019 36.6% -9.9%
2020 41.7% +14.1%
2021 46.2% +10.7%
2022 43.9% -4.9%
2023 39.5% -10.0%
2024 39.3% -0.6%
2025 39.1% -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 41.6% 41.4% 41.9% 9
2000s 41.8% 41.0% 42.5% 10
2010s 39.5% 36.6% 41.1% 10
2020s 41.6% 39.1% 46.2% 6

Countries ranked near Guatemala

  1. 78 Rwanda 40.4% compare
  2. 79 Venezuela 40.4% compare
  3. 80 Morocco 40.1% compare
  4. 82 Lesotho 38.5% compare
  5. 83 Cape Verde 38.5% compare
  6. 84 China 37.7% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Guatemala

All data for Guatemala →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala was 39.1% 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 Guatemala?
The highest recorded value was 46.2% in 2021.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Guatemala?
The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 2019.
How does Guatemala rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Guatemala ranks 81st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Guatemala?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Guatemala 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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Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Guatemala. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/guatemala/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,176 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.