Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia
North Macedonia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 16.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia stood at 16.6%.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 36.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia peaked at 30.1% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 2023.
That places North Macedonia 139th out of 187 countries 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 North Macedonia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 19.9% | — |
| 1992 | 20.0% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 20.2% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 20.9% | +2.1% |
| 1996 | 21.2% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 22.0% | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 22.7% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 25.1% | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 25.8% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 30.1% | +16.6% |
| 2002 | 29.5% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 27.4% | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 24.7% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 28.3% | +14.5% |
| 2006 | 28.1% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 27.4% | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 27.9% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 27.6% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 27.7% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 27.6% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 26.8% | -2.9% |
| 2013 | 28.1% | +4.8% |
| 2014 | 26.7% | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 26.1% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 23.9% | -8.4% |
| 2017 | 23.2% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 22.6% | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 20.6% | -8.9% |
| 2020 | 17.6% | -14.6% |
| 2021 | 16.9% | -4.0% |
| 2022 | 16.2% | -3.8% |
| 2023 | 15.9% | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 16.8% | +5.6% |
| 2025 | 16.6% | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.4% | 19.9% | 25.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 27.7% | 24.7% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.3% | 20.6% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.7% | 15.9% | 17.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Macedonia
More work & labour data for North Macedonia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.21 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.1782 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,405 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 525.79 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 422.57 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 440.42 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 863 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in North Macedonia was 16.6% 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 Macedonia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2001.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in North Macedonia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 2023.
- How does North Macedonia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- North Macedonia ranks 139th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in North Macedonia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Macedonia 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.