Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Tanzania
Tanzania: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 85.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Tanzania, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Tanzania stood at 85.3%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Tanzania peaked at 92.5% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 85.3%, in 2025.
That places Tanzania 7th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Tanzania, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 92.5% | — |
| 1992 | 92.3% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 92.3% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 92.2% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 92.2% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 92.1% | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 92.0% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 91.8% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 91.7% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 91.5% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 91.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 91.1% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 90.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 90.5% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 90.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 89.8% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 89.5% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 89.1% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 88.9% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 88.5% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 88.4% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 88.1% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 87.8% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 87.5% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 87.2% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 87.0% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 86.7% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 86.4% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 86.1% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 86.6% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 86.1% | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 85.9% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 85.7% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 85.5% | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 85.3% | -0.2% |
Tanzania compared with similar countries
- Tanzania's 85.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 64.6%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Tanzania's 85.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 71.0%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 92.1% | 91.7% | 92.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 90.3% | 88.9% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 87.4% | 86.1% | 88.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.9% | 85.3% | 86.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Tanzania
- 4 Madagascar 88.3% compare
- 5 Nigeria 86.2% compare
- 6 Central African Republic 85.4% compare
- 8 Mozambique 85.3% compare
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 85.1% compare
- 10 Burundi 84.9% compare
More work & labour data for Tanzania
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 7,078 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 83.66 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 36,231 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 1.52 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.09 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 8,562 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 2,584 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 82.38 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.35 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Tanzania?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Tanzania was 85.3% 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 Tanzania?
- The highest recorded value was 92.5% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Tanzania?
- The lowest recorded value was 85.3% in 2025.
- How does Tanzania rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Tanzania ranks 7th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Tanzania?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tanzania 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.