Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low income
Low income: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 78.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low 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 income is 78.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low income peaked at 79.3% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 77.9%, in 2011.
That places Low income 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low income, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 78.3% | — |
| 1992 | 78.5% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 78.6% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 79.0% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 79.2% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 79.1% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 79.0% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 78.9% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 78.8% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 78.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 78.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 78.9% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 78.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 78.8% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 78.8% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 78.6% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 78.5% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 78.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 78.0% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 77.9% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 77.9% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 78.1% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 78.3% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 78.4% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.5% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 78.3% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 78.2% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 78.2% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 78.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 79.0% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 78.5% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 78.1% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 79.3% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 79.1% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 78.9% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 78.8% | 78.3% | 79.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 78.6% | 78.0% | 78.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.2% | 77.9% | 78.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.8% | 78.1% | 79.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Low income
- 1 Chad 91.6% compare
- 2 Niger 89.5% compare
- 3 Sierra Leone 88.8% compare
- 4 Madagascar 88.3% compare
- 5 Nigeria 86.2% compare
- 6 Central African Republic 85.4% compare
- 7 Tanzania, United Republic of 85.3% compare
More work & labour data for Low income
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 74.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 44.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 49.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 77.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 54.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 65.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low income?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Low income was 78.9% 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 Low income?
- The highest recorded value was 79.3% in 2023.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Low income?
- The lowest recorded value was 77.9% in 2011.
- How does Low income rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Low income ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Low income?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Low 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.