Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Switzerland
Switzerland: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 16.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Switzerland, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Switzerland recorded 16.9% for self-employed, total (% of total employment) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Switzerland peaked at 18.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 14.3%, in 2020.
That places Switzerland 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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 Switzerland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 18.0% | — |
| 1992 | 18.0% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 17.9% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 17.8% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 18.4% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 17.8% | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 18.0% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 18.0% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | -4.8% |
| 2002 | 16.9% | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 17.5% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 16.2% | -7.3% |
| 2005 | 16.0% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 15.9% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 16.1% | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 15.9% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 15.3% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 15.5% | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 15.3% | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 15.4% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 15.2% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 15.0% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 15.0% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 14.3% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 14.3% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 15.6% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 16.4% | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 16.7% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 16.8% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 16.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 18.0% | 17.8% | 18.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.5% | 15.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 14.3% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 14.3% | 16.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Switzerland
- 134 South Africa 17.3% compare
- 135 New Caledonia 17.1% compare
- 136 Bahamas 17.1% compare
- 138 Netherlands 16.8% compare
- 139 North Macedonia 16.6% compare
- 140 Australia 16.1% compare
More work & labour data for Switzerland
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0651 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0485 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0817 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.4 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.6452 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 8,038 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,842 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 4,568 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 4,558 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 9,126 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Switzerland?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Switzerland was 16.9% 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 Switzerland?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 1997.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Switzerland?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.3% in 2020.
- How does Switzerland rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Switzerland ranks 137th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Switzerland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Switzerland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.