Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 39.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan recorded 39.0% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan peaked at 49.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 39.0%, in 2025.
That places Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 28th out of 47 groups 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 49.5% | — |
| 1992 | 49.3% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 49.1% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 48.8% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 48.6% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 48.3% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 47.4% | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 47.8% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 47.4% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 47.4% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 47.2% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 45.9% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 46.0% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 46.7% | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 44.7% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 44.0% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 44.2% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 43.8% | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 43.6% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 42.7% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 42.1% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 42.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 41.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 41.6% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 41.1% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 40.9% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 40.4% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 41.1% | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 40.7% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 40.2% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 39.5% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 39.4% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 39.2% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 39.0% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 48.5% | 47.4% | 49.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 45.3% | 43.6% | 47.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.7% | 40.4% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.7% | 39.0% | 40.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- 25 Mali 76.4% compare
- 26 Angola 75.9% compare
- 27 Guinea-Bissau 75.5% compare
- 28 India 74.9% compare
- 29 East Timor 74.9% compare
- 30 Zambia 71.7% compare
- 31 Cote d'Ivoire 71.0% compare
More work & labour data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 47.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 32.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 21.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 50.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 14.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 50.2% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 29.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 73.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 76.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 19.7% (2025)
All data for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan →
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan was 39.0% 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 Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 49.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 39.0% in 2025.
- How does Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 28th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 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.