Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries): Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 35.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 35.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 40.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 35.4%, in 2014.
That places Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 31st out of 47 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 40.2% | — |
| 1992 | 40.3% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 40.5% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 40.2% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 39.9% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 39.2% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 39.4% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 39.2% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 39.4% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 38.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 39.0% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 38.8% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 38.5% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 38.2% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 37.6% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 36.8% | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 36.6% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 36.9% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 36.5% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 36.1% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 35.8% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 35.7% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 35.4% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 35.9% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 36.1% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 36.6% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 36.9% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 36.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 37.5% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 38.1% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 37.3% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 36.5% | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 36.0% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 35.9% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.8% | 39.2% | 40.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 38.0% | 36.6% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.2% | 35.4% | 36.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.9% | 35.9% | 38.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 28 India 74.9% compare
- 29 Timor-Leste 74.9% compare
- 30 Zambia 71.7% compare
- 31 Côte d'Ivoire 71.0% compare
- 32 Zimbabwe 70.8% compare
- 33 Solomon Islands 69.9% compare
- 34 Bhutan 69.5% compare
More work & labour data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 63.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 47.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 57.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 39.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 69.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 69.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 75.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 51.7% (2025)
All data for Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) was 35.9% 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 Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 40.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.4% in 2014.
- How does Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 31st out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.