Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Vanuatu
Vanuatu: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 60.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Vanuatu, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Vanuatu stood at 60.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Vanuatu peaked at 77.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 60.6%, in 2021.
That places Vanuatu 46th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
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 Vanuatu, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 77.6% | — |
| 1992 | 77.4% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 77.3% | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 77.1% | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.8% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 76.6% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 76.4% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 76.3% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 76.1% | -0.3% |
| 2001 | 76.1% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 76.1% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 76.1% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 76.0% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 75.9% | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 75.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 74.6% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 73.8% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 73.0% | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 70.2% | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 69.2% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 68.2% | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 67.2% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 66.2% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 65.2% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 64.3% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 63.2% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 62.1% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 61.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 61.1% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 60.6% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 60.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 60.6% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 60.6% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 60.6% | -0.0% |
Vanuatu compared with similar countries
- Vanuatu's 60.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 64.6%, 94% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vanuatu's 60.6% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 37.7%, 1.6× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.9% | 76.3% | 77.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 75.3% | 73.0% | 76.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.7% | 61.0% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.7% | 60.6% | 61.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vanuatu
- 43 North Korea 62.1% compare
- 44 Malawi 61.3% compare
- 45 Bangladesh 61.0% compare
- 47 Moldova 58.8% compare
- 48 Comoros 57.9% compare
- 49 Mauritania 57.4% compare
More work & labour data for Vanuatu
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.5174 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.5115 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6054 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.46 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 163.02 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 311.57 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 431.36 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 444.12 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 875.48 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Vanuatu?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Vanuatu was 60.6% 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 Vanuatu?
- The highest recorded value was 77.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Vanuatu?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.6% in 2021.
- How does Vanuatu rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Vanuatu ranks 46th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Vanuatu?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vanuatu 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.