Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 12.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico stood at 12.6%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 6.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico peaked at 16.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2015.
That places Puerto Rico 158th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Puerto Rico, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15.4% | — |
| 1992 | 15.0% | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 14.8% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 15.1% | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 15.1% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 14.7% | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 14.7% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | -4.5% |
| 1999 | 14.6% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 13.9% | -3.6% |
| 2002 | 14.9% | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 14.4% | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 14.5% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 14.6% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 15.2% | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 14.7% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 14.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 14.7% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 15.3% | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | -8.0% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | -8.9% |
| 2015 | 11.8% | -9.8% |
| 2016 | 13.6% | +15.4% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | +13.4% |
| 2018 | 16.6% | +7.8% |
| 2019 | 14.9% | -10.3% |
| 2020 | 12.7% | -14.7% |
| 2021 | 12.7% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 12.7% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 12.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.6% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 12.6% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 14.8% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 13.9% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 11.8% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Puerto Rico
More work & labour data for Puerto Rico
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -2.24 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -2.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -2.19 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.5786 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 142.52 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 521.69 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,139 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 473.93 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 995.62 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Puerto Rico was 12.6% 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 Puerto Rico?
- The highest recorded value was 16.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Puerto Rico?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2015.
- How does Puerto Rico rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Puerto Rico ranks 158th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Puerto Rico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Puerto Rico 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.