Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Post-demographic dividend
Post-demographic dividend: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 11.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Post-demographic dividend, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Post-demographic dividend recorded 11.3% 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 1.0% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Post-demographic dividend peaked at 16.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 11.3%, in 2025.
Post-demographic dividend ranks 45th of 47 groups on this measure, 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 Post-demographic dividend, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.5% | — |
| 1992 | 16.4% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 16.1% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 16.0% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 15.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 15.6% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 15.2% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 15.0% | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 14.4% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 14.4% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 14.0% | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 13.7% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 13.5% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 13.5% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 13.4% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 13.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 13.3% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 13.1% | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 13.0% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | -1.1% |
| 2017 | 12.6% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 12.4% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 12.3% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 12.3% | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 12.2% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 11.6% | -5.2% |
| 2023 | 11.4% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 11.4% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 11.3% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.9% | 15.0% | 16.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.1% | 13.5% | 14.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.9% | 12.3% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.7% | 11.3% | 12.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Post-demographic dividend
- 42 Senegal 64.3% compare
- 43 Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 62.1% compare
- 44 Malawi 61.3% compare
- 45 Bangladesh 61.0% compare
- 46 Vanuatu 60.6% compare
- 47 Republic of Moldova 58.8% compare
- 48 Comoros 57.9% compare
More work & labour data for Post-demographic dividend
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 60.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 48.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 71.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 48.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 47.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 75.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 82.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 80.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 55.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Post-demographic dividend?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Post-demographic dividend was 11.3% 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 Post-demographic dividend?
- The highest recorded value was 16.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Post-demographic dividend?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.3% in 2025.
- How does Post-demographic dividend rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Post-demographic dividend ranks 45th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Post-demographic dividend?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Post-demographic dividend 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.