Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia
Somalia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 52.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia, 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 Somalia is 52.2%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia peaked at 58.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 51.8%, in 2019.
Somalia ranks 57th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 57.8% | — |
| 1992 | 57.7% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 57.6% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 57.8% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 58.0% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 58.1% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 58.1% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 58.1% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 58.0% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 57.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 57.7% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 57.4% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 57.1% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 56.5% | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 56.1% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 56.2% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 55.8% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 55.3% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 54.8% | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 54.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 54.0% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 53.6% | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 53.3% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 52.9% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 52.6% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 52.2% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 52.0% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 51.8% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 52.8% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 52.3% | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 52.3% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 52.3% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 52.3% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 52.2% | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.9% | 57.6% | 58.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 56.7% | 55.3% | 57.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.2% | 51.8% | 54.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.4% | 52.2% | 52.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
More work & labour data for Somalia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4652 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4323 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4971 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.7917 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.22 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 22,865 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 12,986 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 34,351 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 33,013 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 67,364 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Somalia was 52.2% 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.8% in 2019.
- How does Somalia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Somalia ranks 57th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.