Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy
Italy: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 21.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy stood at 21.1%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy peaked at 29.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 21.1%, in 2025.
Italy ranks 125th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Italy, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 28.4% | — |
| 1992 | 28.9% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 28.5% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 28.6% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 29.1% | +1.6% |
| 1996 | 29.1% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 28.8% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 28.7% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 28.3% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 28.2% | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 27.9% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 27.4% | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 27.3% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 27.9% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 26.7% | -4.4% |
| 2006 | 26.4% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 26.1% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 25.5% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 25.0% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 25.3% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 25.0% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 24.9% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 24.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 24.7% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 24.4% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.9% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 22.6% | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 21.8% | -3.3% |
| 2022 | 21.4% | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 21.3% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 21.2% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 21.1% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 28.7% | 28.3% | 29.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 26.8% | 25.0% | 28.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.2% | 22.8% | 25.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.6% | 21.1% | 22.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Italy
More work & labour data for Italy
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6708 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.6794 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.662 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0094 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 44,671 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,422 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,512 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 17,865 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 35,377 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Italy was 21.1% 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.1% in 2025.
- How does Italy rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Italy ranks 125th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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.