Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World
World: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 46.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World stood at 46.4%.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World peaked at 52.4% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 46.2%, in 2019.
That places World 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 52.4% | — |
| 1992 | 52.4% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 52.4% | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 52.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 52.3% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 52.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 51.9% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 51.9% | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 51.8% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 51.6% | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 51.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 51.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 51.0% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 50.7% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 50.2% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 49.8% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 49.4% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 49.0% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 49.0% | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 48.7% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 48.3% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 47.8% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 47.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 47.2% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 46.9% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 46.6% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 46.4% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 46.3% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 46.2% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 46.7% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 46.6% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 46.7% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 46.6% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 46.5% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 46.4% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 52.2% | 51.8% | 52.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 50.3% | 49.0% | 51.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 47.2% | 46.2% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.6% | 46.4% | 46.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near World
More work & labour data for World
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1226 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1316 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1143 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.688 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6.68 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 3.09 million 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 5.10 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 5.08 million 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 10.18 million 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in World was 46.4% 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 World?
- The highest recorded value was 52.4% in 1992.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in World?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.2% in 2019.
- How does World rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- World ranks 22nd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in World?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this World 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.