Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua
Nicaragua: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 44.3% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Nicaragua recorded 44.3% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua peaked at 48.1% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 44.3%, in 2025.
That places Nicaragua 67th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 46.5% | — |
| 1992 | 46.6% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 46.7% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 46.6% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 46.5% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 46.4% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 46.2% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 46.0% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 45.9% | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 45.7% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 45.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 46.2% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 46.9% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 47.5% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 48.1% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 47.8% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 47.5% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 47.2% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 47.2% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 47.0% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 46.8% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 46.5% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 46.3% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 46.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 45.7% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 45.5% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 45.2% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 45.0% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 45.0% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 45.6% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 45.2% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 45.0% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 44.7% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 44.5% | -0.5% |
| 2025 | 44.3% | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 46.4% | 45.9% | 46.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 47.0% | 45.6% | 48.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.9% | 45.0% | 47.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.9% | 44.3% | 45.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nicaragua
- 64 Colombia 45.6% compare
- 65 Uzbekistan 45.4% compare
- 66 Samoa 44.5% compare
- 68 Honduras 44.1% compare
- 69 Sao Tome and Principe 44.0% compare
- 70 Iran, Islamic Republic of 42.9% compare
More work & labour data for Nicaragua
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 1.36 % change on previous year (2024)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 1.41 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.36 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2248 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,954 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,653 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 3,468 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 3,356 1000 No (2023)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 6,916 1000 No (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nicaragua was 44.3% 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 Nicaragua?
- The highest recorded value was 48.1% in 2005.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Nicaragua?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.3% in 2025.
- How does Nicaragua rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Nicaragua ranks 67th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Nicaragua?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Nicaragua 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.