Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 86.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria, 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 Nigeria is 86.2%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria peaked at 95.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 86.2%, in 2025.
That places Nigeria 5th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 95.6% | — |
| 1992 | 95.3% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 95.1% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 95.0% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 94.8% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 94.7% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 94.5% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 94.4% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 94.2% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 93.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 93.6% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 93.2% | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 92.7% | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 92.1% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 91.6% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 91.1% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 90.7% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 90.2% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 89.8% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 89.3% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 88.8% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 88.5% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 88.1% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 87.8% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 87.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 87.0% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.8% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 87.6% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 87.1% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 86.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 86.4% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 86.2% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 94.8% | 94.2% | 95.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 91.9% | 89.8% | 93.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.8% | 86.6% | 89.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.8% | 86.2% | 87.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
- 2 Niger 89.5% compare
- 3 Sierra Leone 88.8% compare
- 4 Madagascar 88.3% compare
- 6 Central African Republic 85.4% compare
- 7 Tanzania, United Republic of 85.3% compare
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
More work & labour data for Nigeria
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0306 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0025 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3624 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.71 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 287,130 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 123,508 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 237,227 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 239,521 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 476,748 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Nigeria was 86.2% 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 Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 95.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 86.2% in 2025.
- How does Nigeria rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Nigeria ranks 5th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nigeria 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.