Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC): Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 79.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) recorded 79.0% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) peaked at 83.0% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 78.6%, in 2022.
Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 3rd of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 82.5% | — |
| 1992 | 82.6% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 82.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 82.9% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 83.0% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 82.9% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 82.7% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 82.6% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 82.5% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 82.4% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 82.3% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 82.3% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 82.2% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 82.1% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 82.0% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 81.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.5% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 81.3% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 81.0% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 80.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 80.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 80.6% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 80.3% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 80.1% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 79.8% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 79.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 79.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 79.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 78.9% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 79.6% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 78.9% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 78.6% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 79.4% | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 79.2% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 79.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 82.7% | 82.5% | 83.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.9% | 81.0% | 82.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.9% | 78.9% | 80.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.1% | 78.6% | 79.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
- 1 Chad 91.6% compare
- 2 Niger 89.5% compare
- 3 Sierra Leone 88.8% compare
- 4 Madagascar 88.3% compare
- 5 Nigeria 86.2% compare
- 6 Central African Republic 85.4% compare
More work & labour data for Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 53.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 49.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.5% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 81.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 59.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 60.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 68.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) was 79.0% 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 Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The highest recorded value was 83.0% in 1995.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.6% in 2022.
- How does Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) ranks 3rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 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.