Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only
IBRD only: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 47.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
IBRD only recorded 47.1% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only peaked at 57.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 47.1%, in 2025.
That places IBRD only 21st out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 57.5% | — |
| 1992 | 57.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 57.2% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 57.0% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 56.8% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 56.5% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 56.3% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 56.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 56.1% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 55.8% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 55.4% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 55.1% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 54.9% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 54.2% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 53.6% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 53.0% | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 52.5% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 51.9% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 51.6% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 51.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 50.4% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 49.6% | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 49.2% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 48.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 48.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 48.0% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 47.8% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 47.5% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 47.3% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 47.6% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 47.5% | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 47.8% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 47.6% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 47.3% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 47.1% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.8% | 56.1% | 57.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.8% | 51.6% | 55.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 47.3% | 51.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 47.1% | 47.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near IBRD only
More work & labour data for IBRD only
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 29.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 66.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 46.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 38.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 65.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 73.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in IBRD only was 47.1% 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 IBRD only?
- The highest recorded value was 57.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in IBRD only?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.1% in 2025.
- How does IBRD only rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- IBRD only ranks 21st out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in IBRD only?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this IBRD only 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.