Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia

Latvia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 13.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
13.7%
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
150th
of 186 countries
All-time high
19.4%
in 1997
All-time low
9.7%
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia, 1991–2025

051015201991200820251991: 9.71992: 11.51993: 12.91994: 13.81995: 14.31996: 14.71997: 19.41998: 18.41999: 18.72000: 172001: 17.82002: 16.92003: 16.62004: 16.52005: 14.72006: 13.92007: 13.52008: 12.92009: 13.52010: 13.62011: 13.62012: 13.52013: 13.62014: 13.62015: 13.82016: 13.92017: 13.22018: 13.22019: 132020: 13.52021: 13.12022: 132023: 13.22024: 13.72025: 13.7

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia is 13.7%, measured in 2025.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia peaked at 19.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 9.7%, in 1991.

That places Latvia 150th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Latvia, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 9.7%
1992 11.5% +18.4%
1993 12.9% +12.5%
1994 13.8% +7.0%
1995 14.3% +3.6%
1996 14.7% +2.6%
1997 19.4% +32.5%
1998 18.4% -5.1%
1999 18.7% +1.2%
2000 17.0% -8.9%
2001 17.8% +4.8%
2002 16.9% -5.2%
2003 16.6% -1.8%
2004 16.5% -0.6%
2005 14.7% -10.9%
2006 13.9% -5.3%
2007 13.5% -2.9%
2008 12.9% -4.4%
2009 13.5% +4.5%
2010 13.6% +1.1%
2011 13.6% -0.4%
2012 13.5% -0.5%
2013 13.6% +0.6%
2014 13.6% +0.4%
2015 13.8% +1.3%
2016 13.9% +0.7%
2017 13.2% -5.0%
2018 13.2% -0.1%
2019 13.0% -1.5%
2020 13.5% +3.7%
2021 13.1% -2.8%
2022 13.0% -1.0%
2023 13.2% +1.5%
2024 13.7% +4.2%
2025 13.7% -0.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14.8% 9.7% 19.4% 9
2000s 15.3% 12.9% 17.8% 10
2010s 13.5% 13.0% 13.9% 10
2020s 13.4% 13.0% 13.7% 6

Countries ranked near Latvia

  1. 147 Portugal 14.4% compare
  2. 148 Slovenia 14.0% compare
  3. 149 Malta 13.9% compare
  4. 151 Ireland 13.4% compare
  5. 152 Iceland 13.3% compare
  6. 153 France 13.3% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Latvia

All data for Latvia →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia was 13.7% 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 Latvia?
The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 1997.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Latvia?
The lowest recorded value was 9.7% in 1991.
How does Latvia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Latvia ranks 150th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Latvia?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Latvia 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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Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Latvia. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/latvia/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,176 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.