Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Poland
Poland: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 18.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Poland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Poland recorded 18.9% 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 0.6% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Poland peaked at 33.5% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 18.9%, in 2025.
Poland ranks 129th 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 Poland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 30.0% | — |
| 1992 | 32.8% | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 33.5% | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 33.4% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 32.2% | -3.6% |
| 1996 | 32.1% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 32.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 31.7% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 31.7% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 32.3% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 33.0% | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 33.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 32.2% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 31.6% | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 30.6% | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 29.3% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 28.3% | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 27.4% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 27.5% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 27.3% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 26.8% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 26.2% | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 24.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.4% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 22.8% | -6.1% |
| 2022 | 21.6% | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 20.5% | -5.4% |
| 2024 | 19.0% | -7.1% |
| 2025 | 18.9% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.1% | 30.0% | 33.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 30.5% | 27.4% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.6% | 23.8% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 18.9% | 24.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Poland
More work & labour data for Poland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.04 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.0452 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 22,799 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 9,591 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 9,786 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 9,544 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 19,330 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Poland?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Poland was 18.9% 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 Poland?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Poland?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.9% in 2025.
- How does Poland rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Poland ranks 129th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Poland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Poland 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.