Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India
India: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 74.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India stood at 74.9%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India peaked at 87.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 74.9%, in 2025.
That places India 28th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 87.0% | — |
| 1992 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 86.5% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 86.3% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 86.0% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 85.7% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 85.5% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 85.2% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 85.0% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 84.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 84.6% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 84.5% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 84.4% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 84.2% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 83.8% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 83.7% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 83.6% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 83.4% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 82.2% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 81.1% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 80.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 80.1% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 79.5% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 79.0% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 78.4% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 77.8% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 77.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 77.2% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 76.9% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 76.1% | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 75.4% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 74.9% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 86.0% | 85.0% | 87.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 84.2% | 83.6% | 84.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 79.9% | 77.2% | 83.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.2% | 74.9% | 77.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near India
- 25 Mali 76.4% compare
- 26 Angola 75.9% compare
- 27 Guinea-Bissau 75.5% compare
- 29 Timor-Leste 74.9% compare
- 30 Zambia 71.7% compare
- 31 Côte d'Ivoire 71.0% compare
More work & labour data for India
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5076 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.5078 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.12 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 876,613 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 782,365 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 743,542 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 761,710 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 1.51 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in India was 74.9% 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.9% in 2025.
- How does India rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- India ranks 28th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.