Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 5.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia stood at 5.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 68.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia peaked at 8.2% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 2.6%, in 2018.
That places Saudi Arabia 181st 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 Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 8.2% | — |
| 1992 | 8.1% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 7.7% | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 7.6% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 7.4% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 7.2% | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 7.0% | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 6.8% | -3.9% |
| 2001 | 6.7% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 6.6% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 6.4% | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 6.1% | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 5.7% | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 5.5% | -4.9% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 4.9% | -6.6% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -9.8% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | -8.0% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | -6.1% |
| 2014 | 3.3% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -11.9% |
| 2019 | 5.2% | +98.8% |
| 2020 | 5.6% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | +17.8% |
| 2022 | 6.4% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 5.0% | -22.2% |
| 2024 | 5.6% | +11.1% |
| 2025 | 5.5% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.6% | 7.0% | 8.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.9% | 4.9% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 2.6% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.0% | 6.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 178 Macau, China 6.8% compare
- 179 Russian Federation 6.3% compare
- 180 United States of America 6.1% compare
- 182 United Arab Emirates 5.1% compare
- 183 Oman 5.0% compare
- 184 Norway 4.9% compare
More work & labour data for Saudi Arabia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5946 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.6842 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.31 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5985 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 40,709 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 4,348 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 31,198 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 39,809 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 71,007 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Saudi Arabia was 5.5% 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 Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.6% in 2018.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 181st out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 68.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.