Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Sweden
Sweden: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 10.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Sweden, 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 Sweden is 10.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Sweden peaked at 13.1% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 10.0%, in 1991.
That places Sweden 168th out of 186 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 Sweden, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.0% | — |
| 1992 | 10.6% | +6.9% |
| 1993 | 11.6% | +9.0% |
| 1994 | 11.9% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 13.1% | +9.5% |
| 1996 | 13.0% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 12.6% | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | -2.6% |
| 1999 | 12.3% | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 11.9% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 11.5% | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 11.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 11.2% | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 11.3% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 11.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 11.5% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 11.4% | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 11.5% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 11.8% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 11.3% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 11.4% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 11.1% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 11.1% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 10.8% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 10.7% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 10.7% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 10.6% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 10.5% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 10.4% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 10.3% | -1.0% |
| 2025 | 10.2% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 11.9% | 10.0% | 13.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.0% | 10.5% | 11.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.5% | 10.2% | 10.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
More work & labour data for Sweden
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.0422 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.0602 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.0243 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.29 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5427 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 10,837 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 788.88 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5,587 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5,780 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 11,367 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Sweden?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Sweden was 10.2% 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 13.1% in 1995.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.0% in 1991.
- How does Sweden rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Sweden ranks 168th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.