Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Spain
Spain: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 14.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Spain, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Spain recorded 14.5% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Spain peaked at 26.3% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 2025.
Spain ranks 145th of 186 countries on this measure, 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 Spain, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25.6% | — |
| 1992 | 26.2% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 26.3% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 26.1% | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 25.3% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 24.9% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 23.8% | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 22.8% | -4.1% |
| 1999 | 21.5% | -5.8% |
| 2000 | 20.2% | -6.2% |
| 2001 | 20.0% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 19.0% | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 18.2% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 18.1% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 18.1% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 17.9% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 17.6% | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 17.8% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 16.9% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 16.9% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 17.1% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 17.5% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 17.9% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 17.4% | -3.0% |
| 2016 | 16.7% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 16.1% | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 16.1% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 15.4% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 14.8% | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 14.7% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 14.5% | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.7% | 21.5% | 26.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 16.9% | 20.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.8% | 15.7% | 17.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 14.5% | 16.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Spain
More work & labour data for Spain
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.527 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.5576 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.4982 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1207 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 39,073 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 5,322 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 17,076 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,051 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 33,128 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Spain?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Spain was 14.5% 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 Spain?
- The highest recorded value was 26.3% in 1993.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Spain?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 2025.
- How does Spain rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Spain ranks 145th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Spain?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Spain 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.