Self-employed, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate) by country
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...
Countries reporting
186
Highest
96.8%
Chad
Lowest
1.2%
Qatar
Median
31.2%
Years covered
35
1991–2025
Data points
8,176
What the numbers show
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate) is currently reported for 186 countries. The highest value is 96.8% in Chad; the lowest is 1.2% in Qatar.
The median across all reporting countries is 31.2%, and the mean is 39.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 78.
Over the past decade 54 countries rose and 132 fell. The largest increase was in Saudi Arabia (up 397.9%), and the largest decrease in Mauritius (down 47.0%).
Self-employed, female (% of female employment): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 96.8% | 2025 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 2 | Niger | 95.4% | 2025 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 3 | Sierra Leone | 94.8% | 2025 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 93.5% | 2025 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 5 | Mozambique | 91.3% | 2025 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 6 | Nepal | 90.8% | 2025 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 7 | Liberia | 90.7% | 2025 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 8 | Madagascar | 90.6% | 2025 | down 1.5% | rising |
| 9 | Burundi | 90.6% | 2025 | down 3.9% | flat |
| 10 | Tanzania | 90.6% | 2025 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 11 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 90.5% | 2025 | down 1.1% | flat |
| 12 | Congo | 90.1% | 2025 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 13 | Guinea | 89.9% | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 14 | Nigeria | 89.5% | 2025 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 15 | Burkina Faso | 88.9% | 2025 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 16 | Central African Republic | 88.3% | 2025 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 17 | Uganda | 87.9% | 2025 | up 2.8% | flat |
| 18 | Ethiopia | 86.7% | 2025 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 19 | Angola | 85.6% | 2025 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 20 | Papua New Guinea | 85.5% | 2025 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 21 | Guinea-Bissau | 85.5% | 2025 | down 1.4% | flat |
| 22 | Togo | 85.1% | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 23 | Haiti | 85.0% | 2025 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 24 | South Sudan | 84.9% | 2023 | down 4.1% | flat |
| 25 | Benin | 84.2% | 2025 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 26 | Bhutan | 82.3% | 2025 | down 3.4% | flat |
| 27 | Gambia | 82.3% | 2025 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 28 | Laos | 81.8% | 2025 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 29 | Mali | 81.6% | 2025 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 30 | Cote d'Ivoire | 80.9% | 2025 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 31 | Zambia | 80.1% | 2025 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 32 | East Timor | 79.8% | 2025 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 33 | Solomon Islands | 79.6% | 2025 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 34 | India | 78.8% | 2025 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 35 | Zimbabwe | 78.4% | 2025 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 36 | Cameroon | 78.1% | 2025 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 37 | Senegal | 76.2% | 2025 | up 2.9% | flat |
| 38 | Kenya | 74.0% | 2025 | up 1.4% | falling |
| 39 | Ghana | 73.7% | 2025 | down 12.2% | falling |
| 40 | Pakistan | 73.3% | 2025 | down 2.1% | falling |
| 41 | Mauritania | 71.9% | 2025 | down 0.3% | falling |
| 42 | Azerbaijan | 71.6% | 2025 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 43 | Bolivia | 69.7% | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 44 | Comoros | 69.5% | 2025 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 45 | Malawi | 67.4% | 2025 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 46 | Somalia | 66.4% | 2025 | down 0.6% | falling |
| 47 | Bangladesh | 65.3% | 2025 | down 10.4% | falling |
| 48 | Yemen | 65.2% | 2025 | down 2.9% | flat |
| 49 | Myanmar | 65.2% | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 50 | North Korea | 63.8% | 2025 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 51 | Vanuatu | 63.6% | 2025 | down 8.6% | falling |
| 52 | Djibouti | 62.7% | 2025 | down 2.7% | falling |
| 53 | Cambodia | 60.8% | 2025 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 54 | Ecuador | 60.7% | 2025 | up 6.6% | flat |
| 55 | Indonesia | 60.4% | 2025 | up 1.4% | falling |
| 56 | Moldova | 59.5% | 2025 | down 0.4% | rising |
| 57 | Eritrea | 59.0% | 2025 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 58 | Vietnam | 58.2% | 2025 | down 11.4% | falling |
| 59 | Sudan | 56.8% | 2022 | down 3.9% | falling |
| 60 | Peru | 54.7% | 2025 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 61 | Honduras | 54.3% | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 62 | Guatemala | 53.6% | 2025 | up 10.4% | rising |
| 63 | Thailand | 49.8% | 2025 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 64 | Nicaragua | 49.1% | 2025 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 65 | Albania | 48.5% | 2025 | down 15.3% | falling |
| 66 | Cape Verde | 47.2% | 2025 | down 6.0% | falling |
| 67 | Sao Tome and Principe | 44.4% | 2025 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 68 | Rwanda | 44.1% | 2025 | down 10.2% | falling |
| 69 | Georgia | 43.0% | 2025 | down 21.0% | falling |
| 70 | Tonga | 42.8% | 2025 | down 21.9% | falling |
| 71 | Colombia | 42.7% | 2025 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 72 | El Salvador | 42.3% | 2025 | down 10.7% | falling |
| 73 | Namibia | 41.7% | 2025 | up 8.2% | falling |
| 74 | Philippines | 41.1% | 2025 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 75 | Paraguay | 41.0% | 2025 | down 7.5% | falling |
| 76 | Sri Lanka | 40.4% | 2025 | down 10.7% | flat |
| 77 | Mongolia | 39.0% | 2025 | down 18.4% | falling |
| 78 | Gabon | 38.6% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 79 | Venezuela | 37.8% | 2025 | up 20.2% | rising |
| 80 | Samoa | 37.3% | 2025 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 81 | Iraq | 37.3% | 2025 | down 5.4% | falling |
| 82 | Panama | 37.2% | 2025 | up 16.4% | rising |
| 83 | Iran | 37.0% | 2025 | down 15.8% | falling |
| 84 | Belize | 37.0% | 2025 | up 29.0% | rising |
| 85 | Tajikistan | 35.7% | 2025 | down 5.9% | flat |
| 86 | China | 35.4% | 2025 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 87 | Eswatini | 35.2% | 2025 | down 17.1% | falling |
| 88 | Armenia | 34.4% | 2025 | down 31.1% | falling |
| 89 | Lesotho | 33.6% | 2025 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 90 | Fiji | 32.4% | 2025 | down 15.5% | falling |
| 91 | Maldives | 31.5% | 2025 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 92 | Equatorial Guinea | 31.5% | 2025 | up 12.6% | falling |
| 93 | Dominican Republic | 31.4% | 2025 | down 3.5% | falling |
| 94 | Mexico | 31.0% | 2025 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 95 | Jamaica | 30.5% | 2025 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 96 | Uzbekistan | 30.4% | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 97 | Egypt | 30.3% | 2025 | down 14.6% | falling |
| 98 | Turkmenistan | 29.5% | 2025 | down 9.4% | falling |
| 99 | Guyana | 29.2% | 2025 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 100 | Botswana | 28.1% | 2025 | down 6.7% | rising |
| 101 | Turkey | 27.3% | 2025 | down 29.7% | falling |
| 102 | Morocco | 25.9% | 2025 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 103 | Uruguay | 25.6% | 2025 | up 6.2% | rising |
| 104 | Kyrgyzstan | 25.5% | 2025 | down 30.5% | falling |
| 105 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 25.5% | 2025 | up 7.8% | falling |
| 106 | Kazakhstan | 25.4% | 2025 | down 1.1% | falling |
| 107 | Greece | 24.7% | 2025 | down 13.4% | falling |
| 108 | Brazil | 24.7% | 2025 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 109 | Serbia | 24.0% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 110 | Syria | 23.4% | 2025 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 111 | Algeria | 23.4% | 2025 | down 9.6% | falling |
| 112 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 23.3% | 2025 | up 1.7% | rising |
| 113 | Costa Rica | 23.3% | 2025 | down 12.6% | falling |
| 114 | Libya | 23.1% | 2025 | down 3.2% | rising |
| 115 | Palestine | 22.9% | 2022 | down 37.2% | falling |
| 116 | Argentina | 22.8% | 2025 | up 13.6% | falling |
| 117 | Chile | 22.8% | 2025 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 118 | Suriname | 20.7% | 2025 | up 0.5% | rising |
| 119 | South Korea | 19.4% | 2025 | down 17.9% | falling |
| 120 | Ukraine | 19.2% | 2021 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 121 | Cuba | 18.9% | 2025 | down 0.1% | rising |
| 122 | Saint Lucia | 18.5% | 2025 | down 12.9% | rising |
| 123 | Malaysia | 18.2% | 2025 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 124 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17.0% | 2025 | up 16.2% | falling |
| 125 | Italy | 15.9% | 2025 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 126 | Tunisia | 15.2% | 2025 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 127 | French Polynesia | 15.1% | 2025 | up 1.3% | falling |
| 128 | Switzerland | 15.1% | 2025 | up 14.9% | falling |
| 129 | New Zealand | 15.0% | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 130 | Lebanon | 14.9% | 2023 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 131 | South Africa | 14.7% | 2025 | up 21.8% | falling |
| 132 | Poland | 13.6% | 2025 | down 35.7% | falling |
| 133 | Guam | 13.2% | 2025 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 134 | Barbados | 13.2% | 2025 | up 15.7% | rising |
| 135 | Netherlands | 12.7% | 2025 | up 19.1% | rising |
| 136 | Australia | 12.3% | 2025 | up 6.1% | falling |
| 137 | New Caledonia | 11.7% | 2025 | up 12.3% | flat |
| 138 | North Macedonia | 11.6% | 2025 | down 45.4% | falling |
| 139 | Montenegro | 11.6% | 2025 | down 22.4% | rising |
| 140 | Latvia | 11.5% | 2025 | up 5.8% | falling |
| 141 | Czechia | 11.4% | 2025 | down 11.1% | rising |
| 142 | Portugal | 11.3% | 2025 | down 8.5% | falling |
| 143 | Spain | 11.1% | 2025 | down 7.2% | falling |
| 144 | Bahamas | 11.1% | 2025 | up 22.0% | falling |
| 145 | Belgium | 11.1% | 2025 | up 3.3% | falling |
| 146 | Romania | 11.0% | 2025 | down 37.8% | falling |
| 147 | France | 10.8% | 2025 | up 31.6% | flat |
| 148 | Mauritius | 10.6% | 2025 | down 47.0% | falling |
| 149 | Canada | 10.2% | 2025 | down 11.2% | falling |
| 150 | United Kingdom | 9.9% | 2025 | down 5.0% | rising |
| 151 | Slovenia | 9.9% | 2025 | down 28.6% | falling |
| 152 | Luxembourg | 9.8% | 2025 | up 4.5% | rising |
| 153 | Malta | 9.7% | 2025 | up 13.6% | falling |
| 154 | Austria | 9.6% | 2025 | down 17.0% | falling |
| 155 | Bulgaria | 8.9% | 2025 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 156 | Hungary | 8.8% | 2025 | up 9.8% | falling |
| 157 | Brunei | 8.8% | 2025 | up 8.9% | rising |
| 158 | Iceland | 8.7% | 2025 | down 12.6% | flat |
| 159 | Lithuania | 8.5% | 2025 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 160 | Croatia | 8.5% | 2025 | down 33.3% | falling |
| 161 | Israel | 8.3% | 2025 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 162 | Singapore | 8.3% | 2025 | down 8.0% | rising |
| 163 | Cyprus | 8.3% | 2025 | down 28.2% | falling |
| 164 | Finland | 8.2% | 2025 | down 3.0% | flat |
| 165 | Puerto Rico | 8.0% | 2025 | up 14.0% | flat |
| 166 | Slovakia | 7.9% | 2025 | down 12.7% | rising |
| 167 | Ireland | 7.8% | 2025 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 168 | Estonia | 7.6% | 2025 | up 4.1% | falling |
| 169 | Japan | 7.5% | 2025 | down 19.3% | falling |
| 170 | Saudi Arabia | 6.8% | 2025 | up 397.9% | volatile |
| 171 | Belarus | 6.7% | 2025 | down 11.9% | falling |
| 172 | United States Virgin Islands | 6.5% | 2025 | up 14.8% | rising |
| 173 | Oman | 6.4% | 2025 | up 8.9% | falling |
| 174 | Sweden | 6.3% | 2025 | up 1.7% | flat |
| 175 | Germany | 5.9% | 2025 | down 17.5% | falling |
| 176 | Denmark | 5.7% | 2025 | up 1.6% | falling |
| 177 | Russia | 5.6% | 2025 | down 11.8% | rising |
| 178 | United Arab Emirates | 5.2% | 2025 | up 112.7% | rising |
| 179 | Hong Kong | 4.7% | 2025 | down 11.0% | rising |
| 180 | Macao | 4.2% | 2025 | up 0.6% | falling |
| 181 | United States | 3.8% | 2025 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 182 | Norway | 3.4% | 2025 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 183 | Jordan | 3.3% | 2025 | down 29.1% | falling |
| 184 | Bahrain | 3.2% | 2025 | up 2.9% | rising |
| 185 | Kuwait | 1.4% | 2025 | up 220.1% | volatile |
| 186 | Qatar | 1.2% | 2025 | up 108.8% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Africa Western and Central 86.9%
- Pre-demographic dividend 86.7%
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 85.0%
- Low income 84.7%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 83.1%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 83.1%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 83.1%
- Least developed countries: UN classification 82.1%
- IDA blend 80.7%
- IDA total 80.2%
- Africa Eastern and Southern 80.1%
- IDA only 79.9%
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.