Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 78.7% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea stood at 78.7%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea peaked at 82.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 78.7%, in 2025.
Papua New Guinea ranks 18th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 82.0% | — |
| 1992 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 81.6% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 81.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 81.4% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 81.3% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 81.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 81.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 81.6% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 81.7% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 81.8% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 81.9% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 81.8% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 81.7% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.5% | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 81.4% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 81.3% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 80.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 80.7% | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 80.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 80.3% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 80.0% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 79.8% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 79.6% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 79.4% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 79.3% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 79.7% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 79.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 79.1% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 79.0% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 78.8% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 78.7% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 81.5% | 81.3% | 82.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.6% | 81.3% | 81.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.2% | 79.3% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.1% | 78.7% | 79.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Papua New Guinea
More work & labour data for Papua New Guinea
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0564 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0424 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0705 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.4419 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,326 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 10,546 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,357 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,284 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 18,640 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Papua New Guinea was 78.7% 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 Papua New Guinea?
- The highest recorded value was 82.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Papua New Guinea?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.7% in 2025.
- How does Papua New Guinea rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Papua New Guinea ranks 18th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Papua New Guinea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Papua New Guinea 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.