Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway
Norway: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 4.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway stood at 4.9%.
That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 18.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway peaked at 9.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4.9%, in 2021.
That places Norway 183rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Norway, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.6% | — |
| 1992 | 9.4% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 9.2% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 8.9% | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 8.7% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 7.7% | -11.8% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 7.3% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 6.6% | -10.6% |
| 2000 | 6.4% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 6.5% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 6.4% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 6.5% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 6.5% | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 7.5% | +16.9% |
| 2007 | 6.8% | -9.2% |
| 2008 | 6.9% | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 7.0% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 6.3% | -10.2% |
| 2011 | 6.4% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 5.7% | -10.5% |
| 2013 | 5.7% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 6.2% | +8.4% |
| 2015 | 5.9% | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 5.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 5.5% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 5.3% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 4.9% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 4.9% | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.3% | 6.6% | 9.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.7% | 6.4% | 7.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.8% | 5.2% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 5.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Norway
More work & labour data for Norway
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.2322 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2229 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7506 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,138 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 663.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,690 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,724 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 5,414 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Norway was 4.9% 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 Norway?
- The highest recorded value was 9.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Norway?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9% in 2021.
- How does Norway rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Norway ranks 183rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Norway?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Norway 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.