Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi
Malawi: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 61.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi, 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 Malawi is 61.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi peaked at 65.2% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 61.3%, in 2025.
Malawi ranks 44th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 65.1% | — |
| 1992 | 65.1% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 65.1% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 65.2% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 65.0% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 64.8% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 64.5% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 64.3% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 64.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 64.0% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 64.0% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 64.0% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 64.0% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 64.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 63.9% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 63.8% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 63.6% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 63.4% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 63.1% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 62.9% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 62.7% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 62.6% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 62.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 62.3% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 62.2% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 62.1% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 62.0% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 62.0% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 61.8% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 61.9% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 61.5% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 61.4% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 61.4% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 61.3% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 61.3% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 64.8% | 64.1% | 65.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 63.8% | 63.1% | 64.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.3% | 61.8% | 62.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.5% | 61.3% | 61.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 41 Kenya 64.8% compare
- 42 Senegal 64.3% compare
- 43 North Korea 62.1% compare
- 45 Bangladesh 61.0% compare
- 46 Vanuatu 60.6% compare
- 47 Republic of Moldova 58.8% compare
More work & labour data for Malawi
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4409 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4183 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 4.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,360 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 28,345 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 30,321 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 28,820 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 59,141 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malawi was 61.3% 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 1994.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.3% in 2025.
- How does Malawi rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Malawi ranks 44th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.