Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Namibia
Namibia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 36.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Namibia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Namibia recorded 36.5% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Namibia peaked at 43.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2016.
Namibia ranks 85th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 43.5% | — |
| 1992 | 43.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 43.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 43.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 43.3% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 43.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 43.0% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 42.6% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 42.3% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 41.9% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 41.5% | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 41.1% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 40.6% | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 40.1% | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 39.5% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 38.9% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 38.4% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 37.9% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 37.5% | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 37.1% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 36.9% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 36.7% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 36.2% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 34.0% | -6.2% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | -6.2% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 33.7% | +13.1% |
| 2018 | 37.6% | +11.5% |
| 2019 | 37.5% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 37.8% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 37.2% | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 37.2% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 36.8% | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 36.5% | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 43.1% | 42.3% | 43.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 39.7% | 37.5% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.1% | 29.8% | 37.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.1% | 36.5% | 37.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
- 82 Lesotho 38.5% compare
- 83 Cape Verde 38.5% compare
- 84 China (People’s Republic of) 37.7% compare
- 86 Philippines 36.1% compare
- 87 Jamaica 35.7% compare
- 88 El Salvador 35.7% compare
More work & labour data for Namibia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0916 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0906 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0929 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.3746 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.88 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,116 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,223 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,070 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,828 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,898 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Namibia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Namibia was 36.5% 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 Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 43.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2016.
- How does Namibia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Namibia ranks 85th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Namibia 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.