Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore
Singapore: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 12.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore stood at 12.7%.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore peaked at 15.6% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 1995.
That places Singapore 157th 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 Singapore, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.4% | — |
| 1992 | 13.5% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 13.6% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 13.7% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 11.5% | -15.5% |
| 1996 | 14.7% | +27.1% |
| 1997 | 13.9% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 14.5% | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 15.6% | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 15.4% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 15.4% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 14.9% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 15.6% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 15.3% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 15.4% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 15.1% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 14.8% | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 14.5% | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 15.0% | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 15.3% | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 14.9% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 13.7% | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 13.7% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 13.8% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 13.3% | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 12.2% | -7.8% |
| 2024 | 12.8% | +4.9% |
| 2025 | 12.7% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.8% | 11.5% | 15.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 14.8% | 15.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.4% | 13.7% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 12.2% | 13.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Singapore
More work & labour data for Singapore
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.967 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.9557 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.9779 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1059 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,575 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 0 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 2,077 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 2,086 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 4,163 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, per unit 0 1000 No per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Singapore was 12.7% 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 Singapore?
- The highest recorded value was 15.6% in 1999.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Singapore?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 1995.
- How does Singapore rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Singapore ranks 157th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Singapore?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Singapore 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.