Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines
Philippines: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 36.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines stood at 36.1%.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines peaked at 49.9% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 35.5%, in 2019.
That places Philippines 86th out of 186 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 Philippines, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 49.9% | — |
| 1992 | 49.9% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 49.9% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 49.8% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 49.8% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 49.6% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 49.4% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 49.4% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 49.6% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 48.5% | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 48.4% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 48.7% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 47.8% | -1.9% |
| 2004 | 45.8% | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 47.4% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 46.8% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 45.8% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 45.4% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 44.5% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 43.3% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 42.6% | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 40.6% | -4.5% |
| 2013 | 39.4% | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 39.9% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 38.5% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 38.1% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 37.2% | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 35.9% | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 35.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 36.8% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 36.4% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 37.1% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 36.8% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 36.5% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 36.1% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 49.7% | 49.4% | 49.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 46.9% | 44.5% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.1% | 35.5% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.6% | 36.1% | 37.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Philippines
More work & labour data for Philippines
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.6532 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5998 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.7053 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.7536 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 93,465 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 57,828 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 57,691 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 56,530 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 114,222 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Philippines was 36.1% 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 Philippines?
- The highest recorded value was 49.9% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Philippines?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.5% in 2019.
- How does Philippines rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Philippines ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Philippines?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Philippines 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.