Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 13.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom stood at 13.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom peaked at 15.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 2001.
That places United Kingdom 154th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.9% | — |
| 1992 | 13.6% | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 13.4% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 13.7% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 13.7% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 13.2% | -3.3% |
| 1997 | 13.1% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 12.6% | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 12.7% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 12.3% | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 12.2% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 12.3% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 13.0% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 13.1% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 13.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 13.4% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 13.3% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 13.6% | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 14.0% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 14.2% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 14.7% | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 14.4% | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 15.2% | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 15.0% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 15.3% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 15.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 15.0% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 14.5% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 13.6% | -6.4% |
| 2022 | 13.3% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 13.4% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 13.2% | -1.5% |
| 2025 | 13.1% | -0.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 13.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 13.2%, 99% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 13.1% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 14.6%, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.3% | 12.6% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 12.9% | 12.2% | 13.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.8% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.5% | 13.1% | 14.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More work & labour data for United Kingdom
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 22,956 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 60.91 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 35,770 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.93 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.07 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 111,361 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 100,223 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 57.91 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.47 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.4352 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in United Kingdom was 13.1% 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 2001.
- How does United Kingdom rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- United Kingdom ranks 154th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.