Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Paraguay
Paraguay: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 41.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Paraguay, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Paraguay recorded 41.3% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Paraguay peaked at 57.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 41.3%, in 2025.
Paraguay ranks 75th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Paraguay, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 57.2% | — |
| 1992 | 57.1% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 57.0% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 56.9% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 56.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 56.7% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 56.6% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 56.5% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 56.4% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 56.5% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 56.6% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 56.6% | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 54.8% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 56.1% | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 52.9% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 52.6% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 51.0% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 48.1% | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 50.7% | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 46.6% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 47.8% | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 44.6% | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 43.7% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 43.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 44.2% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 42.4% | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 43.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 42.9% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 45.5% | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 44.2% | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 42.2% | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 41.3% | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 41.6% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 41.3% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 56.8% | 56.4% | 57.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.6% | 48.1% | 56.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 44.6% | 42.4% | 47.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.7% | 41.3% | 45.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Paraguay
More work & labour data for Paraguay
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.23 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.2175 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.2425 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.9753 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,607 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 2,290 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,534 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,514 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,048 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Paraguay?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Paraguay was 41.3% 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 Paraguay?
- The highest recorded value was 57.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Paraguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.3% in 2025.
- How does Paraguay rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Paraguay ranks 75th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Paraguay?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Paraguay 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.