Self-employed, male (% of male 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
88.1%
Chad
Lowest
0.7%
Qatar
Median
32.6%
Years covered
35
1991–2025
Data points
8,176
What the numbers show
Self-employed, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate) is currently reported for 186 countries. The highest value is 88.1% in Chad; the lowest is 0.7% in Qatar.
The median across all reporting countries is 32.6%, and the mean is 38.1%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 119.
Over the past decade 48 countries rose and 138 fell. The largest increase was in Kuwait (up 160.1%), and the largest decrease in Brunei (down 34.5%).
Self-employed, male (% of male employment): full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 88.1% | 2025 | up 1.6% | falling |
| 2 | Madagascar | 86.1% | 2025 | down 1.0% | rising |
| 3 | Niger | 84.6% | 2025 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 4 | Nigeria | 83.0% | 2025 | down 1.6% | falling |
| 5 | Sierra Leone | 83.0% | 2025 | down 0.4% | falling |
| 6 | Afghanistan | 82.8% | 2025 | down 1.0% | falling |
| 7 | Central African Republic | 82.7% | 2025 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 8 | Ethiopia | 82.6% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 9 | Tanzania | 80.4% | 2025 | down 2.6% | falling |
| 10 | South Sudan | 80.3% | 2023 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 11 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 79.8% | 2025 | up 4.9% | rising |
| 12 | Mozambique | 78.9% | 2025 | up 2.2% | falling |
| 13 | Burundi | 78.7% | 2025 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 14 | Burkina Faso | 77.2% | 2025 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 15 | Guinea | 76.3% | 2025 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 16 | Benin | 75.6% | 2025 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 17 | Uganda | 73.7% | 2025 | up 3.1% | falling |
| 18 | India | 73.3% | 2025 | down 6.5% | falling |
| 19 | Laos | 73.1% | 2025 | down 5.1% | falling |
| 20 | Mali | 73.0% | 2025 | down 4.7% | falling |
| 21 | Papua New Guinea | 72.4% | 2025 | down 2.0% | flat |
| 22 | Nepal | 71.4% | 2025 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 23 | East Timor | 70.7% | 2025 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 24 | Haiti | 70.2% | 2025 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 25 | Togo | 68.6% | 2025 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 26 | Liberia | 67.0% | 2025 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 27 | Angola | 66.5% | 2025 | up 3.6% | falling |
| 28 | Guinea-Bissau | 66.2% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 29 | Myanmar | 65.7% | 2025 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 30 | Zambia | 64.5% | 2025 | down 2.5% | falling |
| 31 | Congo | 64.5% | 2025 | up 2.5% | falling |
| 32 | Cote d'Ivoire | 63.4% | 2025 | down 5.5% | falling |
| 33 | Bolivia | 63.3% | 2025 | down 9.2% | falling |
| 34 | Zimbabwe | 63.3% | 2025 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 35 | Cameroon | 62.5% | 2025 | down 9.3% | falling |
| 36 | Azerbaijan | 62.4% | 2025 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 37 | Ghana | 61.8% | 2025 | down 11.1% | falling |
| 38 | Solomon Islands | 61.0% | 2025 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 39 | Bhutan | 60.9% | 2025 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 40 | North Korea | 60.4% | 2025 | up 0.9% | flat |
| 41 | Bangladesh | 58.8% | 2025 | up 4.7% | falling |
| 42 | Vanuatu | 58.1% | 2025 | down 5.9% | falling |
| 43 | Moldova | 57.8% | 2025 | down 6.9% | rising |
| 44 | Senegal | 57.5% | 2025 | down 7.4% | falling |
| 45 | Kenya | 56.7% | 2025 | up 5.1% | rising |
| 46 | Malawi | 55.6% | 2025 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 47 | Gambia | 55.6% | 2025 | down 14.0% | falling |
| 48 | Uzbekistan | 53.6% | 2025 | down 3.8% | falling |
| 49 | Pakistan | 52.3% | 2025 | down 7.6% | falling |
| 50 | Yemen | 51.9% | 2025 | up 5.8% | rising |
| 51 | Albania | 51.8% | 2025 | down 13.6% | falling |
| 52 | Thailand | 51.5% | 2025 | up 0.8% | falling |
| 53 | Mauritania | 50.7% | 2025 | down 1.4% | falling |
| 54 | Cambodia | 50.5% | 2025 | down 5.8% | falling |
| 55 | Dominican Republic | 49.5% | 2025 | down 6.1% | rising |
| 56 | Comoros | 49.3% | 2025 | down 4.0% | falling |
| 57 | Georgia | 49.1% | 2025 | down 9.0% | falling |
| 58 | Vietnam | 48.7% | 2025 | down 12.7% | falling |
| 59 | Indonesia | 48.7% | 2025 | up 4.7% | falling |
| 60 | Peru | 48.6% | 2025 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 61 | Samoa | 48.5% | 2025 | down 1.8% | falling |
| 62 | Colombia | 47.7% | 2025 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 63 | Djibouti | 46.8% | 2025 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 64 | Ecuador | 46.6% | 2025 | up 11.5% | flat |
| 65 | Somalia | 46.5% | 2025 | down 1.7% | falling |
| 66 | Eritrea | 46.4% | 2025 | down 1.7% | flat |
| 67 | Syria | 45.8% | 2025 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 68 | Sudan | 44.2% | 2022 | up 3.7% | flat |
| 69 | Morocco | 44.0% | 2025 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 70 | Iran | 44.0% | 2025 | down 1.2% | falling |
| 71 | Sao Tome and Principe | 43.6% | 2025 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 72 | Mongolia | 42.9% | 2025 | down 11.6% | falling |
| 73 | Sri Lanka | 42.9% | 2025 | down 0.7% | falling |
| 74 | Panama | 42.9% | 2025 | up 12.0% | flat |
| 75 | Lesotho | 42.2% | 2025 | up 0.4% | falling |
| 76 | Venezuela | 41.9% | 2025 | up 12.1% | flat |
| 77 | Paraguay | 41.4% | 2025 | down 4.5% | falling |
| 78 | Nicaragua | 41.1% | 2025 | down 4.2% | flat |
| 79 | Tonga | 40.9% | 2025 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 80 | Jamaica | 40.1% | 2025 | down 12.3% | falling |
| 81 | China | 39.6% | 2025 | down 7.6% | falling |
| 82 | Honduras | 38.8% | 2025 | down 2.2% | falling |
| 83 | Rwanda | 37.4% | 2025 | down 4.9% | falling |
| 84 | Fiji | 34.9% | 2025 | down 11.8% | falling |
| 85 | Greece | 34.9% | 2025 | down 12.8% | falling |
| 86 | Brazil | 34.5% | 2025 | down 0.8% | falling |
| 87 | Turkmenistan | 34.4% | 2025 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 88 | Belize | 34.1% | 2025 | down 1.5% | falling |
| 89 | Kyrgyzstan | 33.7% | 2025 | down 20.2% | falling |
| 90 | Saint Lucia | 33.7% | 2025 | down 3.1% | flat |
| 91 | Lebanon | 33.0% | 2023 | down 4.6% | falling |
| 92 | Armenia | 33.0% | 2025 | down 17.6% | falling |
| 93 | Philippines | 32.6% | 2025 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 94 | Guyana | 32.6% | 2025 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 95 | Guatemala | 32.1% | 2025 | down 9.7% | falling |
| 96 | Trinidad and Tobago | 32.0% | 2025 | up 15.5% | rising |
| 97 | Cape Verde | 31.6% | 2025 | down 3.1% | falling |
| 98 | Namibia | 31.6% | 2025 | up 22.4% | falling |
| 99 | Algeria | 31.4% | 2025 | down 3.3% | falling |
| 100 | Iraq | 31.0% | 2025 | up 1.2% | falling |
| 101 | El Salvador | 30.8% | 2025 | down 13.2% | falling |
| 102 | Mexico | 30.7% | 2025 | up 0.2% | falling |
| 103 | Uruguay | 30.0% | 2025 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 104 | Serbia | 29.7% | 2025 | down 13.8% | falling |
| 105 | Malaysia | 29.6% | 2025 | down 6.1% | falling |
| 106 | Tajikistan | 29.3% | 2025 | down 7.7% | flat |
| 107 | Turkey | 29.2% | 2025 | down 6.2% | falling |
| 108 | Gabon | 29.0% | 2025 | down 3.4% | falling |
| 109 | Costa Rica | 28.8% | 2025 | down 7.9% | falling |
| 110 | Tunisia | 28.8% | 2025 | down 3.6% | falling |
| 111 | Cuba | 28.7% | 2025 | up 2.1% | rising |
| 112 | Botswana | 28.1% | 2025 | down 8.1% | rising |
| 113 | Argentina | 27.6% | 2025 | up 2.3% | falling |
| 114 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 27.5% | 2025 | down 3.3% | flat |
| 115 | Libya | 27.1% | 2025 | down 4.1% | rising |
| 116 | Kazakhstan | 26.8% | 2025 | down 5.0% | falling |
| 117 | Egypt | 26.2% | 2025 | down 8.7% | falling |
| 118 | Eswatini | 25.8% | 2025 | down 15.4% | falling |
| 119 | Barbados | 25.7% | 2025 | up 13.8% | rising |
| 120 | South Korea | 25.3% | 2025 | down 8.0% | falling |
| 121 | Italy | 25.0% | 2025 | down 16.1% | falling |
| 122 | Equatorial Guinea | 24.9% | 2025 | up 7.2% | falling |
| 123 | Chile | 24.8% | 2025 | up 3.7% | falling |
| 124 | Palestine | 24.0% | 2022 | down 26.0% | falling |
| 125 | Suriname | 23.7% | 2025 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 126 | Poland | 23.4% | 2025 | down 19.0% | falling |
| 127 | Bahamas | 23.2% | 2025 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 128 | Ukraine | 22.6% | 2021 | up 2.3% | flat |
| 129 | Mauritius | 22.5% | 2025 | up 10.2% | falling |
| 130 | Montenegro | 22.3% | 2025 | down 14.3% | flat |
| 131 | New Caledonia | 21.7% | 2025 | up 24.3% | rising |
| 132 | New Zealand | 21.5% | 2025 | down 10.6% | falling |
| 133 | Slovakia | 21.0% | 2025 | up 1.9% | rising |
| 134 | French Polynesia | 20.6% | 2025 | down 7.3% | falling |
| 135 | Netherlands | 20.4% | 2025 | up 9.2% | rising |
| 136 | North Macedonia | 20.4% | 2025 | down 30.7% | flat |
| 137 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 19.6% | 2025 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 138 | Australia | 19.5% | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 139 | South Africa | 19.4% | 2025 | up 17.0% | rising |
| 140 | Czechia | 19.3% | 2025 | down 7.6% | rising |
| 141 | Switzerland | 18.5% | 2025 | up 11.3% | falling |
| 142 | Ireland | 18.3% | 2025 | down 22.0% | falling |
| 143 | Belgium | 17.7% | 2025 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 144 | Spain | 17.5% | 2025 | down 19.9% | falling |
| 145 | Portugal | 17.5% | 2025 | down 19.5% | falling |
| 146 | Guam | 17.4% | 2025 | down 2.9% | falling |
| 147 | Slovenia | 17.3% | 2025 | down 18.9% | falling |
| 148 | Iceland | 17.2% | 2025 | down 24.4% | falling |
| 149 | Romania | 17.0% | 2025 | down 26.3% | falling |
| 150 | Malta | 16.9% | 2025 | down 8.0% | flat |
| 151 | Puerto Rico | 16.7% | 2025 | up 5.1% | falling |
| 152 | Finland | 16.6% | 2025 | down 15.9% | falling |
| 153 | Croatia | 16.6% | 2025 | down 22.5% | falling |
| 154 | Maldives | 16.5% | 2025 | down 18.7% | falling |
| 155 | Estonia | 16.5% | 2025 | down 3.7% | falling |
| 156 | Singapore | 16.2% | 2025 | down 8.1% | falling |
| 157 | United Kingdom | 16.2% | 2025 | down 15.1% | flat |
| 158 | Latvia | 15.9% | 2025 | down 5.7% | falling |
| 159 | France | 15.6% | 2025 | up 6.0% | falling |
| 160 | Canada | 15.3% | 2025 | down 15.4% | falling |
| 161 | Austria | 14.5% | 2025 | down 8.2% | falling |
| 162 | Lithuania | 14.4% | 2025 | down 7.0% | falling |
| 163 | Bulgaria | 14.3% | 2025 | down 6.4% | falling |
| 164 | Israel | 14.2% | 2025 | down 6.3% | falling |
| 165 | Hungary | 14.1% | 2025 | up 3.7% | falling |
| 166 | Sweden | 13.8% | 2025 | down 11.0% | falling |
| 167 | Jordan | 12.9% | 2025 | down 22.9% | falling |
| 168 | United States Virgin Islands | 11.8% | 2025 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 169 | Cyprus | 11.8% | 2025 | down 34.1% | falling |
| 170 | Hong Kong | 10.9% | 2025 | down 13.0% | falling |
| 171 | Luxembourg | 10.8% | 2025 | down 15.1% | rising |
| 172 | Japan | 10.3% | 2025 | down 14.1% | falling |
| 173 | Germany | 10.1% | 2025 | down 26.6% | falling |
| 174 | Denmark | 9.9% | 2025 | down 15.7% | falling |
| 175 | Macao | 9.4% | 2025 | up 2.1% | falling |
| 176 | United States | 8.0% | 2025 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 177 | Russia | 7.0% | 2025 | down 13.6% | rising |
| 178 | Belarus | 7.0% | 2025 | down 14.5% | falling |
| 179 | Brunei | 6.3% | 2025 | down 34.5% | falling |
| 180 | Norway | 6.2% | 2025 | down 21.1% | falling |
| 181 | Saudi Arabia | 5.3% | 2025 | up 50.8% | falling |
| 182 | United Arab Emirates | 5.0% | 2025 | up 31.2% | rising |
| 183 | Oman | 4.7% | 2025 | up 2.9% | volatile |
| 184 | Kuwait | 3.7% | 2025 | up 160.1% | falling |
| 185 | Bahrain | 2.2% | 2025 | down 12.6% | falling |
| 186 | Qatar | 0.7% | 2025 | up 46.2% | falling |
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 76.6%
- Low income 74.5%
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 74.1%
- Pre-demographic dividend 73.9%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 72.9%
- Sub-Saharan Africa 72.9%
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 72.9%
- South Asia 71.5%
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 71.5%
- Least developed countries: UN classification 71.0%
- Africa Eastern and Southern 70.0%
- IDA only 68.8%
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.