Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uganda
Uganda: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 80.5% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uganda, 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 Uganda is 80.5%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uganda peaked at 84.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 78.5%, in 2016.
That places Uganda 16th out of 186 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) in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 84.1% | — |
| 1992 | 84.0% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 83.8% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 83.5% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 83.3% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 82.9% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 82.6% | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 82.4% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 82.1% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 81.9% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 81.7% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 81.5% | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 81.2% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 81.0% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.8% | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 80.5% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 80.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 79.8% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 79.6% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 79.3% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 79.0% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 78.8% | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 78.5% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 78.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 78.5% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 78.5% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 78.5% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 79.2% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 79.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 80.9% | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 81.3% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 81.2% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 81.0% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 80.7% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 80.5% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.2% | 82.1% | 84.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 80.8% | 79.6% | 81.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 78.9% | 78.5% | 79.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.9% | 80.5% | 81.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 13 Burkina Faso 82.6% compare
- 14 South Sudan 82.5% compare
- 15 Guinea 81.9% compare
- 17 Benin 79.8% compare
- 18 Papua New Guinea 78.7% compare
- 19 Nepal 78.6% compare
More work & labour data for Uganda
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0408 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0266 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 46,664 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 59,035 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 60,822 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 60,013 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 120,835 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uganda?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uganda was 80.5% 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 Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 84.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.5% in 2016.
- How does Uganda rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Uganda ranks 16th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda 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.