Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malaysia
Malaysia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 25.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malaysia, 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 Malaysia is 25.4%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malaysia peaked at 32.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 25.4%, in 2025.
That places Malaysia 117th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Malaysia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 32.2% | — |
| 1992 | 31.8% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 31.4% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 31.1% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 30.7% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 30.3% | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 30.0% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 29.8% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 29.8% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 29.5% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 29.3% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 29.1% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 28.9% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 28.6% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 28.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 27.7% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 27.4% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 27.4% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 27.3% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 27.1% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 26.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 26.8% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 26.6% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 26.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 26.3% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 26.1% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 26.0% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 25.7% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 25.5% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 25.4% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 30.8% | 29.8% | 32.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 28.4% | 27.4% | 29.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.7% | 26.0% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.7% | 25.4% | 26.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
More work & labour data for Malaysia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2671 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2772 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2563 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.25 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6933 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 36,440 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,289 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 21,832 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 22,194 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 44,026 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malaysia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malaysia was 25.4% 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.4% in 2025.
- How does Malaysia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Malaysia ranks 117th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malaysia 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.