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

Lebanon: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 28.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
28.4%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
104th
of 187 countries
All-time high
33.1%
in 1991
All-time low
28.3%
in 2021
Years of data
33
1991–2023

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Lebanon, 1991–2023

01020301991200720231991: 33.11992: 32.71993: 32.31994: 31.91995: 31.51996: 31.11997: 30.91998: 30.81999: 30.82000: 30.82001: 30.82002: 30.82003: 30.72004: 30.62005: 30.42006: 30.32007: 30.42008: 30.12009: 29.82010: 29.52011: 29.32012: 29.22013: 29.22014: 29.32015: 29.42016: 29.52017: 29.62018: 29.52019: 29.32020: 292021: 28.32022: 28.42023: 28.4

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

Analysis

Lebanon recorded 28.4% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2023.

That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Lebanon peaked at 33.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 28.3%, in 2021.

Lebanon ranks 104th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Lebanon, 1991 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1991 33.1%
1992 32.7% -1.1%
1993 32.3% -1.3%
1994 31.9% -1.3%
1995 31.5% -1.2%
1996 31.1% -1.2%
1997 30.9% -0.7%
1998 30.8% -0.2%
1999 30.8% -0.0%
2000 30.8% -0.0%
2001 30.8% -0.0%
2002 30.8% -0.2%
2003 30.7% -0.3%
2004 30.6% -0.4%
2005 30.4% -0.6%
2006 30.3% -0.1%
2007 30.4% +0.2%
2008 30.1% -0.9%
2009 29.8% -1.1%
2010 29.5% -1.1%
2011 29.3% -0.6%
2012 29.2% -0.4%
2013 29.2% -0.0%
2014 29.3% +0.3%
2015 29.4% +0.5%
2016 29.5% +0.4%
2017 29.6% +0.1%
2018 29.5% -0.1%
2019 29.3% -0.7%
2020 29.0% -1.2%
2021 28.3% -2.5%
2022 28.4% +0.3%
2023 28.4% +0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 31.7% 30.8% 33.1% 9
2000s 30.5% 29.8% 30.8% 10
2010s 29.4% 29.2% 29.6% 10
2020s 28.5% 28.3% 29.0% 4

Countries ranked near Lebanon

  1. 101 Eswatini 30.2% compare
  2. 102 Algeria 30.2% compare
  3. 103 Türkiye 28.5% compare
  4. 105 Botswana 28.1% compare
  5. 106 Uruguay 28.0% compare
  6. 107 Equatorial Guinea 27.5% compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More work & labour data for Lebanon

All data for Lebanon →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Lebanon?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Lebanon was 28.4% in 2023, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
What is the highest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Lebanon?
The highest recorded value was 33.1% in 1991.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Lebanon?
The lowest recorded value was 28.3% in 2021.
How does Lebanon rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Lebanon ranks 104th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Lebanon?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lebanon 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 Lebanon. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/lebanon/

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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
235 places, 8,211 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.