Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Self-employed, total (% of total employment) was 70.8% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Zimbabwe, 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 Zimbabwe is 70.8%, measured in 2025.
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 Zimbabwe peaked at 71.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 68.0%, in 1999.
Zimbabwe ranks 32nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 68.4% | — |
| 1992 | 68.4% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 68.4% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 68.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 68.3% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 68.2% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 68.1% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 68.0% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 68.0% | -0.0% |
| 2000 | 68.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 68.1% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 68.2% | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 68.7% | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 69.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 69.5% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 69.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 70.0% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 70.5% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 70.9% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 71.0% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 70.8% | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 71.0% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 71.3% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.7% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 71.5% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 71.3% | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 71.1% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 71.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 71.4% | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 71.3% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 71.8% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 71.0% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 70.9% | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 70.8% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 68.2% | 68.0% | 68.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 69.3% | 68.1% | 70.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.2% | 70.8% | 71.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.2% | 70.8% | 71.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
- 29 Timor-Leste 74.9% compare
- 30 Zambia 71.7% compare
- 31 Côte d'Ivoire 71.0% compare
- 33 Solomon Islands 69.9% compare
- 34 Bhutan 69.5% compare
- 35 Cameroon 69.3% compare
More work & labour data for Zimbabwe
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1887 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1727 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2032 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 13,627 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 16,032 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,130 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,036 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,167 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Zimbabwe?
- Self-employed, total (% of total employment) in Zimbabwe was 70.8% 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 71.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest self-employed, total (% of total employment) recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 68.0% in 1999.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for self-employed, total (% of total employment)?
- Zimbabwe ranks 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.