Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend
Pre-demographic dividend: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 79.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
The most recent figure for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend is 79.7%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend peaked at 84.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 79.3%, in 2018.
Pre-demographic dividend ranks 2nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 84.5% | — |
| 1992 | 84.5% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 84.5% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 84.5% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 84.5% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 84.4% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 84.3% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 84.2% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 83.8% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 83.6% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 83.4% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 83.1% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 82.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 82.5% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 82.3% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 82.0% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 81.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 81.4% | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 81.1% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 80.8% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 80.5% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 80.1% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 79.9% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 79.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 79.5% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 79.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 79.3% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 79.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 80.2% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 79.7% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 79.4% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 80.1% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 79.9% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 79.7% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 84.4% | 84.0% | 84.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 82.7% | 81.4% | 83.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 80.0% | 79.3% | 81.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 79.9% | 79.4% | 80.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Pre-demographic dividend
- 1 Chad 91.6% compare
- 2 Niger 89.5% compare
- 3 Sierra Leone 88.8% compare
- 4 Madagascar 88.3% compare
- 5 Nigeria 86.2% compare
More work & labour data for Pre-demographic dividend
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 47.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 85.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 76.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 69.7% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 55.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 64.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 63.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 70.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 77.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 51.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Pre-demographic dividend was 79.7% 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 Pre-demographic dividend?
- The highest recorded value was 84.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Pre-demographic dividend?
- The lowest recorded value was 79.3% in 2018.
- How does Pre-demographic dividend rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Pre-demographic dividend ranks 2nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Pre-demographic dividend?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Pre-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.