Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia
South Asia: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 73.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia, 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 South Asia is 73.1%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia peaked at 84.3% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 73.1%, in 2025.
South Asia ranks 11th of 47 groups on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 84.3% | — |
| 1992 | 84.1% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 83.8% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 83.6% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 83.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 82.8% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 82.6% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 82.3% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 82.0% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 81.9% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 81.8% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 81.6% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 81.5% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 81.3% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 81.1% | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 80.9% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 80.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 79.4% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 78.3% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 77.9% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 77.5% | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 77.0% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 76.4% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 75.8% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 75.3% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 74.8% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 74.9% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 74.5% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 74.7% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 74.2% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 73.5% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 73.1% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.3% | 82.3% | 84.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.5% | 80.7% | 82.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.3% | 74.8% | 80.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.1% | 73.1% | 74.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Asia
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
- 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 85.1% compare
- 10 Burundi 84.9% compare
- 11 Ethiopia 84.3% compare
- 12 Afghanistan 83.4% compare
- 13 Burkina Faso 82.6% compare
- 14 South Sudan 82.5% compare
More work & labour data for South Asia
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 55.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 45.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 19.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 33.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 35.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 81.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages) 59.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 77.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages) 33.0% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 42.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in South Asia was 73.1% 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 South Asia?
- The highest recorded value was 84.3% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in South Asia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.1% in 2025.
- How does South Asia rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- South Asia ranks 11th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in South Asia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Asia 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.