Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives
Maldives: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 20.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives stood at 20.0%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 17.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives peaked at 38.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 20.0%, in 2025.
That places Maldives 127th 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 Maldives, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 38.9% | — |
| 1992 | 38.6% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 38.4% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 38.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 37.9% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 37.6% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 37.3% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 37.1% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 36.8% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 36.6% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 36.5% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 36.3% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 36.0% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 35.7% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 35.6% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 35.3% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 34.9% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 34.5% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 34.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 32.4% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 30.5% | -5.8% |
| 2012 | 28.6% | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 24.6% | -7.6% |
| 2015 | 24.3% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 24.0% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 22.5% | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 21.8% | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 21.4% | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 21.0% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 20.8% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 20.6% | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 20.3% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 20.0% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 37.9% | 36.8% | 38.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 34.1% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.9% | 21.8% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.7% | 20.0% | 21.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Maldives
More work & labour data for Maldives
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.3002 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.4913 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1384 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.545 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.23 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 310.55 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 265.89 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 257.6 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 217.32 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 474.92 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Maldives was 20.0% 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 Maldives?
- The highest recorded value was 38.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Maldives?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.0% in 2025.
- How does Maldives rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Maldives ranks 127th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Maldives?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Maldives 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.