Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North America
North America: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 6.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North America, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
North America recorded 6.8% 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 1.6% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North America peaked at 10.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2025.
North America ranks 47th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 North America, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.1% | — |
| 1992 | 9.8% | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 10.0% | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 9.8% | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 9.6% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 9.6% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 9.5% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 9.0% | -3.0% |
| 2000 | 8.8% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 8.6% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 8.5% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 8.8% | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 8.8% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 8.7% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 8.6% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 8.5% | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 8.3% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 8.4% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 8.1% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 8.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 7.9% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 7.8% | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 7.8% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 7.7% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 7.6% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 7.4% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 7.4% | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 7.1% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 6.9% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 7.0% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 6.8% | -1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.6% | 9.0% | 10.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.6% | 8.3% | 8.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.8% | 7.4% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.1% | 6.8% | 7.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North America
- 44 Malawi 61.3% compare
- 45 Bangladesh 61.0% compare
- 46 Vanuatu 60.6% compare
- 47 Republic of Moldova 58.8% compare
- 48 Comoros 57.9% compare
- 49 Mauritania 57.4% compare
- 50 Pakistan 57.0% compare
More work & labour data for North America
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 56.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 62.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 67.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 51.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 52.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 52.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 78.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 84.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 69.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 74.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North America?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North America was 6.8% 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 North America?
- The highest recorded value was 10.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in North America?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2025.
- How does North America rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- North America ranks 47th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in North America?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North America 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.