Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya
Libya: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 25.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Libya recorded 25.9% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya peaked at 27.8% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 21.7%, in 2007.
That places Libya 113th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.3% | — |
| 1992 | 24.1% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 24.0% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 24.0% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 23.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 23.9% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 23.7% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 23.5% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 23.4% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 22.9% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 22.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 22.2% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 21.9% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 21.7% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 21.8% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 22.2% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 22.7% | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 23.3% | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 24.1% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 24.9% | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 26.0% | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 26.9% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 27.6% | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 27.8% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 27.7% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 27.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 27.2% | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 26.7% | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 26.7% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 26.5% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 26.3% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 25.9% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.9% | 23.4% | 24.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.3% | 21.7% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 22.7% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.5% | 25.9% | 27.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 110 Saint Lucia 26.7% compare
- 111 Costa Rica 26.6% compare
- 112 Kazakhstan 26.1% compare
- 114 Trinidad and Tobago 25.7% compare
- 115 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25.7% compare
- 116 Argentina 25.6% compare
More work & labour data for Libya
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1881 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1642 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.213 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.54 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.4664 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,184 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 939.57 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,815 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,969 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,784 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Libya was 25.9% 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2017.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.7% in 2007.
- How does Libya rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Libya ranks 113th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya 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.