Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta
Malta: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 13.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta, 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 Malta is 13.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta peaked at 16.4% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2001.
That places Malta 149th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.4% | — |
| 1992 | 16.1% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 15.8% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 15.5% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 15.2% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 15.0% | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 14.7% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 14.3% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 14.0% | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 13.8% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 14.7% | +6.4% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 15.3% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 15.1% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | +2.2% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | -3.5% |
| 2009 | 14.9% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 14.8% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 14.6% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 14.5% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 14.5% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 14.4% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 14.5% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 14.6% | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 14.2% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 14.2% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 14.1% | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 14.1% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 13.9% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.3% | 14.3% | 16.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.9% | 13.8% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.6% | 14.4% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.2% | 13.9% | 14.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Malta
More work & labour data for Malta
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.8118 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.7863 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.8415 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.79 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.2041 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 404.95 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 14.3 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 168.51 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 191.42 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 359.93 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Malta was 13.9% 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 16.4% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 2001.
- How does Malta rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Malta ranks 149th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malta 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.