Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income
Low & middle income: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 55.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income is 55.0%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income peaked at 63.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 55.0%, in 2019.
Low & middle income ranks 17th of 47 groups 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 Low & middle income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 63.9% | — |
| 1992 | 63.7% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 63.5% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 63.3% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 62.8% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 62.4% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 62.3% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 62.2% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 62.0% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 61.5% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 61.3% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 61.0% | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 60.5% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 60.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 59.4% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 59.0% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 58.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 58.3% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 57.9% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 57.3% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 56.7% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 56.4% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 56.0% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 55.6% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 55.4% | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 55.2% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 55.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 55.0% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 55.5% | +1.0% |
| 2021 | 55.3% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 55.6% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 55.4% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 55.2% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 55.0% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.0% | 62.2% | 63.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 60.2% | 58.3% | 62.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.1% | 55.0% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.3% | 55.0% | 55.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low & middle income
More work & labour data for Low & middle income
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 61.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 33.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 42.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 65.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 79.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 67.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 47.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low & middle income was 55.0% 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 Low & middle income?
- The highest recorded value was 63.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Low & middle income?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.0% in 2019.
- How does Low & middle income rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Low & middle income ranks 17th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Low & middle income?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Low & middle income 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.