Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay

Uruguay: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 28.0% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
28.0%
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
106th
of 186 countries
All-time high
29.6%
in 2002
All-time low
26.5%
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay, 1991–2025

01020301991200820251991: 27.91992: 27.71993: 27.51994: 27.31995: 27.21996: 271997: 26.91998: 26.71999: 272000: 26.72001: 28.52002: 29.62003: 29.42004: 29.22005: 28.32006: 29.52007: 29.62008: 29.22009: 28.92010: 28.22011: 27.82012: 26.82013: 272014: 26.52015: 272016: 27.52017: 27.72018: 27.92019: 27.82020: 28.42021: 28.42022: 28.32023: 28.22024: 28.12025: 28

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).

Analysis

In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay stood at 28.0%.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay peaked at 29.6% in 2002 and was at its lowest, 26.5%, in 2014.

That places Uruguay 106th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay, year by year

Annual values for Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Uruguay, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 27.9%
1992 27.7% -0.7%
1993 27.5% -0.5%
1994 27.3% -0.7%
1995 27.2% -0.6%
1996 27.0% -0.6%
1997 26.9% -0.6%
1998 26.7% -0.5%
1999 27.0% +1.1%
2000 26.7% -1.4%
2001 28.5% +6.8%
2002 29.6% +3.9%
2003 29.4% -0.5%
2004 29.2% -0.9%
2005 28.3% -2.9%
2006 29.5% +4.1%
2007 29.6% +0.3%
2008 29.2% -1.3%
2009 28.9% -0.9%
2010 28.2% -2.6%
2011 27.8% -1.4%
2012 26.8% -3.6%
2013 27.0% +0.8%
2014 26.5% -2.0%
2015 27.0% +2.0%
2016 27.5% +1.9%
2017 27.7% +0.7%
2018 27.9% +0.5%
2019 27.8% -0.1%
2020 28.4% +2.2%
2021 28.4% -0.0%
2022 28.3% -0.3%
2023 28.2% -0.4%
2024 28.1% -0.4%
2025 28.0% -0.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 27.2% 26.7% 27.9% 9
2000s 28.9% 26.7% 29.6% 10
2010s 27.4% 26.5% 28.2% 10
2020s 28.2% 28.0% 28.4% 6

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 103 Türkiye 28.5% compare
  2. 104 Lebanon 28.4% compare
  3. 105 Botswana 28.1% compare
  4. 107 Equatorial Guinea 27.5% compare
  5. 108 Serbia 27.0% compare
  6. 109 Egypt 27.0% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More work & labour data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay?
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay was 28.0% 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 Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2002.
What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 26.5% in 2014.
How does Uruguay rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
Uruguay ranks 106th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Uruguay 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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Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Uruguay. Statizoid, drawing on ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/self-employed-total-percent-of-total-employment-modeled-ilo-estimate/uruguay/

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About this data

Indicator
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate)
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,176 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

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.