Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Niger had the highest self-employed workers of 186 countries in 2014, at 91.3%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.5%. The median was 34.9% and the figure for the World was 47.2%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.3Niger
Lowest0.5Qatar
Median34.9186 countries
World47.2History

Map of countries, 2014

United Arab Emirates: 3.4 %Afghanistan: 86.4 %Albania: 57.9 %Armenia: 46.2 %Angola: 74.7 %Argentina: 23.7 %Austria: 14.2 %Australia: 16.6 %Azerbaijan: 66.8 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 22.2 %Bangladesh: 61.4 %Belgium: 14.6 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 12.7 %Burundi: 87.3 %Benin: 84 %Brunei: 8.9 %Bolivia: 73.3 %Brazil: 29.4 %Bahamas: 14.9 %Bhutan: 71.1 %Botswana: 30.6 %Belarus: 7.9 %Belize: 30.7 %Canada: 15 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 83.3 %Central African Republic: 85.3 %Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Switzerland: 15.2 %Côte d’Ivoire: 75.8 %Chile: 23.5 %Cameroon: 77.7 %China: 42 %Colombia: 47.8 %Costa Rica: 29.7 %Cuba: 23.1 %Cape Verde: 40.4 %Cyprus: 17.9 %Czechia: 18 %Germany: 10.9 %Djibouti: 53.2 %Denmark: 9 %Dominican Republic: 45.2 %Algeria: 31.2 %Ecuador: 45.8 %Estonia: 12.4 %Egypt: 31.9 %Eritrea: 53.2 %Spain: 17.9 %Ethiopia: 87.7 %Finland: 13 %Fiji: 43.2 %France: 11.6 %Gabon: 33.6 %United Kingdom: 15.2 %Georgia: 56.3 %Ghana: 76.8 %Gambia: 74.4 %Guinea: 86.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 24.4 %Greece: 36.1 %Guatemala: 40.7 %Guinea-Bissau: 76.8 %Guyana: 35.9 %Hong Kong: 9.1 %Honduras: 44.8 %Croatia: 17.3 %Haiti: 74.9 %Hungary: 11.3 %Indonesia: 53.8 %Ireland: 16.8 %Israel: 11.7 %India: 80.1 %Iraq: 31.7 %Iran: 44.4 %Iceland: 16.7 %Italy: 24.7 %Jamaica: 40.5 %Jordan: 14.8 %Japan: 11.2 %Kenya: 63.5 %Kyrgyzstan: 42.4 %Cambodia: 58.5 %North Korea: 61.5 %South Korea: 26 %Kuwait: 1.2 %Kazakhstan: 28.7 %Laos: 81.1 %Lebanon: 29.3 %Sri Lanka: 43 %Liberia: 79.1 %Lesotho: 39.4 %Lithuania: 12.1 %Luxembourg: 8.7 %Latvia: 13.6 %Libya: 26 %Morocco: 42.8 %Moldova: 59.6 %Montenegro: 18.9 %Madagascar: 89.3 %North Macedonia: 26.7 %Mali: 82.2 %Myanmar: 66.6 %Mongolia: 47.5 %Mauritania: 57.8 %Mauritius: 20.1 %Malawi: 62.3 %Mexico: 30.5 %Malaysia: 26.8 %Mozambique: 86.8 %Namibia: 34 %New Caledonia: 14.3 %Niger: 91.3 %Nigeria: 87.8 %Nicaragua: 46 %Netherlands: 14.9 %Norway: 6.2 %Nepal: 81.4 %New Zealand: 20.4 %Oman: 4.5 %Panama: 34.8 %Peru: 55.3 %French Polynesia: 19.1 %Papua New Guinea: 80.3 %Philippines: 39.9 %Pakistan: 60.2 %Poland: 25.6 %Puerto Rico: 13.1 %Palestine: 32.4 %Portugal: 18.5 %Paraguay: 43.7 %Qatar: 0.5 %Romania: 23.9 %Serbia: 31.7 %Russia: 7.3 %Rwanda: 44.1 %Saudi Arabia: 3.3 %Solomon Islands: 70.6 %Sudan: 46.9 %Sweden: 11.1 %Singapore: 14.6 %Slovenia: 19.8 %Slovakia: 15.5 %Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Senegal: 67 %Somalia: 53.3 %Suriname: 22.2 %South Sudan: 85.1 %El Salvador: 39.6 %Syria: 41.7 %Eswatini: 36.1 %Chad: 91 %Togo: 81.8 %Thailand: 52.6 %Tajikistan: 33.9 %Timor-Leste: 75.6 %Turkmenistan: 35.2 %Tunisia: 26.1 %Türkiye: 34.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 21.5 %Tanzania: 87.5 %Ukraine: 20.7 %Uganda: 78.6 %United States: 6.9 %Uruguay: 26.5 %Uzbekistan: 47.4 %Venezuela: 35 %Vietnam: 64.3 %Vanuatu: 66.2 %Samoa: 45.8 %Yemen: 49.5 %South Africa: 14.1 %Zambia: 77 %Zimbabwe: 71.7 %
  • Under 15
  • 15 to 24
  • 24 to 36
  • 36 to 53
  • 53 to 76
  • 76 and over
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%, 2014. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Top 40 countries, 2014

Niger: 91.3 %Niger91.3Chad: 91 %Chad91Madagascar: 89.3 %Madagascar89.3Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Sierra Leone89.1Nigeria: 87.8 %Nigeria87.8Ethiopia: 87.7 %Ethiopia87.7Tanzania: 87.5 %Tanzania87.5Burundi: 87.3 %Burundi87.3Mozambique: 86.8 %Mozambique86.8Afghanistan: 86.4 %Afghanistan86.4Guinea: 86.2 %Guinea86.2Central African Republic: 85.3 %Central African Republic85.3South Sudan: 85.1 %South Sudan85.1Benin: 84 %Benin84Democratic Republic of the Congo: 83.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo83.3Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 82.2 %Mali82.2Togo: 81.8 %Togo81.8Nepal: 81.4 %Nepal81.4Laos: 81.1 %Laos81.1Papua New Guinea: 80.3 %Papua New Guinea80.3India: 80.1 %India80.1Liberia: 79.1 %Liberia79.1Uganda: 78.6 %Uganda78.6Cameroon: 77.7 %Cameroon77.7Zambia: 77 %Zambia77Guinea-Bissau: 76.8 %Guinea-Bissau76.8Ghana: 76.8 %Ghana76.8Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Republic of the Congo76.4Côte d’Ivoire: 75.8 %Côte d’Ivoire75.8Timor-Leste: 75.6 %Timor-Leste75.6Haiti: 74.9 %Haiti74.9Angola: 74.7 %Angola74.7Gambia: 74.4 %Gambia74.4Bolivia: 73.3 %Bolivia73.3Zimbabwe: 71.7 %Zimbabwe71.7Bhutan: 71.1 %Bhutan71.1Solomon Islands: 70.6 %Solomon Islands70.6Senegal: 67 %Senegal67Azerbaijan: 66.8 %Azerbaijan66.8Niger: 91.3 %Niger91.3Chad: 91 %Chad91Madagascar: 89.3 %Madagascar89.3Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Sierra Leone89.1Nigeria: 87.8 %Nigeria87.8Ethiopia: 87.7 %Ethiopia87.7Tanzania: 87.5 %Tanzania87.5Burundi: 87.3 %Burundi87.3Mozambique: 86.8 %Mozambique86.8Afghanistan: 86.4 %Afghanistan86.4Guinea: 86.2 %Guinea86.2Central African Republic: 85.3 %Central African Republic85.3South Sudan: 85.1 %South Sudan85.1Benin: 84 %Benin84Democratic Republic of the Congo: 83.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo83.3Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 82.2 %Mali82.2Togo: 81.8 %Togo81.8Nepal: 81.4 %Nepal81.4Laos: 81.1 %Laos81.1Papua New Guinea: 80.3 %Papua New Guinea80.3India: 80.1 %India80.1Liberia: 79.1 %Liberia79.1Uganda: 78.6 %Uganda78.6Cameroon: 77.7 %Cameroon77.7Zambia: 77 %Zambia77Guinea-Bissau: 76.8 %Guinea-Bissau76.8Ghana: 76.8 %Ghana76.8Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Republic of the Congo76.4Côte d’Ivoire: 75.8 %Côte d’Ivoire75.8Timor-Leste: 75.6 %Timor-Leste75.6Haiti: 74.9 %Haiti74.9Angola: 74.7 %Angola74.7Gambia: 74.4 %Gambia74.4Bolivia: 73.3 %Bolivia73.3Zimbabwe: 71.7 %Zimbabwe71.7Bhutan: 71.1 %Bhutan71.1Solomon Islands: 70.6 %Solomon Islands70.6Senegal: 67 %Senegal67Azerbaijan: 66.8 %Azerbaijan66.8
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2014 (%)Change on 2013
1Niger91.3+1.5 pts
2Chad91-0.1 pts
3Madagascar89.3+0.1 pts
4Sierra Leone89.1-0.4 pts
5Nigeria87.8-0.4 pts
6Ethiopia87.7-0.5 pts
7Tanzania87.5-0.3 pts
8Burundi87.3-0.1 pts
9Mozambique86.8-0.4 pts
10Afghanistan86.4-0.8 pts
11Guinea86.2-0.6 pts
12Central African Republic85.3+0.4 pts
13South Sudan85.1-0.1 pts
14Benin84-0.2 pts
15Democratic Republic of the Congo83.3+0.3 pts
16Burkina Faso82.80 pts
17Mali82.2-0 pts
18Togo81.8-0.3 pts
19Nepal81.4-0.3 pts
20Laos81.1-0.5 pts
21Papua New Guinea80.3-0.3 pts
22India80.1-0.5 pts
23Liberia79.1-0.2 pts
24Uganda78.60 pts
25Cameroon77.7-0.6 pts
26Zambia77-2.3 pts
27Guinea-Bissau76.8-0.1 pts
28Ghana76.8-0.5 pts
29Republic of the Congo76.4-0.2 pts
30Côte d’Ivoire75.8-0.9 pts
31Timor-Leste75.6-0.3 pts
32Haiti74.9-0.2 pts
33Angola74.7-2.8 pts
34Gambia74.4-0.7 pts
35Bolivia73.3+2.5 pts
36Zimbabwe71.7+0.4 pts
37Bhutan71.1+0.1 pts
38Solomon Islands70.6-0.2 pts
39Senegal67-0.5 pts
40Azerbaijan66.8+0.3 pts
41Myanmar66.6-0.3 pts
42Vanuatu66.2-1 pts
43Vietnam64.3-0.8 pts
44Kenya63.5-0.3 pts
45Malawi62.3-0.1 pts
46North Korea61.5-0 pts
47Bangladesh61.4-0.2 pts
48Pakistan60.2-0 pts
49Moldova59.6+1.7 pts
50Comoros58.6-1.2 pts
51Cambodia58.5-0.3 pts
52Albania57.9-1.6 pts
53Mauritania57.8+0.4 pts
54Georgia56.3-1.6 pts
55Peru55.3+0.1 pts
56Indonesia53.8-0.4 pts
57Tonga53.3-0.1 pts
58Somalia53.3-0.4 pts
59Eritrea53.2-0.4 pts
60Djibouti53.2-0.3 pts
61Thailand52.6-5.5 pts
62Yemen49.5+0.2 pts
63Colombia47.8-0.8 pts
64Mongolia47.5-0.5 pts
65Uzbekistan47.4-0.3 pts
66Sudan46.9-0.1 pts
67Armenia46.2-0.2 pts
68Nicaragua46-0.3 pts
69Ecuador45.8-2.3 pts
70Samoa45.8+0.1 pts
71Dominican Republic45.20 pts
72São Tomé and Príncipe44.8-0.3 pts
73Honduras44.8-5.1 pts
74Iran44.4-0.8 pts
75Rwanda44.1-0.2 pts
76Paraguay43.7-0.9 pts
77Fiji43.2-1.4 pts
78Sri Lanka43-0.7 pts
79Morocco42.8-0.6 pts
80Kyrgyzstan42.4+0.2 pts
81China42-0.6 pts
82Syria41.7+1.5 pts
83Guatemala40.7-0.2 pts
84Jamaica40.5-0.2 pts
85Cape Verde40.4-0.1 pts
86Philippines39.9+0.5 pts
87El Salvador39.6-2.4 pts
88Lesotho39.4-0.2 pts
89Eswatini36.1-0.2 pts
90Greece36.1-1 pts
91Guyana35.9-0.2 pts
92Turkmenistan35.2-0.5 pts
93Venezuela35-0 pts
94Panama34.8+0.4 pts
95Türkiye34.2-0.3 pts
96Namibia34-2.2 pts
97Tajikistan33.9-0.3 pts
98Gabon33.6-0.2 pts
99Palestine32.4+0.4 pts
100Egypt31.9+0.3 pts
101Serbia31.7-0.1 pts
102Iraq31.7+3.1 pts
103Algeria31.2+0.2 pts
104Belize30.7-1.6 pts
105Botswana30.6-0.3 pts
106Mexico30.5-0.8 pts
107Costa Rica29.7-0.5 pts
108Brazil29.4-0.1 pts
109Lebanon29.3+0.1 pts
110Saint Lucia28.7-0.1 pts
111Kazakhstan28.7-1.7 pts
112Malaysia26.8-0.1 pts
113North Macedonia26.7-1.4 pts
114Uruguay26.5-0.5 pts
115Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.2+0.1 pts
116Tunisia26.1-0 pts
117Libya26+1.1 pts
118South Korea26-0.5 pts
119Poland25.6-0.6 pts
120Italy24.7-0.1 pts
121Maldives24.6-2 pts
122Equatorial Guinea24.4+0.6 pts
123Romania23.9-0.7 pts
124Argentina23.7+0.1 pts
125Chile23.5+0.6 pts
126Cuba23.1+1.5 pts
127Suriname22.2+0.4 pts
128Bosnia and Herzegovina22.2-2.4 pts
129Trinidad and Tobago21.5-0 pts
130Ukraine20.7-0 pts
131New Zealand20.4-0.1 pts
132Mauritius20.1-0.2 pts
133Slovenia19.8+1.2 pts
134French Polynesia19.10 pts
135Montenegro18.9+2.9 pts
136Portugal18.5-2.2 pts
137Czechia18+0.4 pts
138Spain17.9+0.5 pts
139Cyprus17.9+0.3 pts
140Croatia17.3-0.5 pts
141Barbados17.2-0.2 pts
142Ireland16.8-0.2 pts
143Iceland16.7-0 pts
144Australia16.6-0.2 pts
145Guam16-0.1 pts
146Slovakia15.5-0.4 pts
147United Kingdom15.2+0.8 pts
148Switzerland15.2-0.2 pts
149Canada15-0.2 pts
150Bahamas14.9-0.1 pts
151Netherlands14.9+0.2 pts
152Jordan14.8-0 pts
153Malta14.6-0.1 pts
154Singapore14.6-0.3 pts
155Belgium14.6-0.5 pts
156New Caledonia14.3-0.1 pts
157Austria14.2+0.1 pts
158South Africa14.1-0.7 pts
159Latvia13.6+0.1 pts
160Puerto Rico13.1-1.3 pts
161Finland13-0.5 pts
162Bulgaria12.7+1 pts
163Estonia12.4-0.1 pts
164Lithuania12.1+0.3 pts
165Israel11.7+0.1 pts
166France11.6+0.3 pts
167Hungary11.30 pts
168Japan11.2-0.1 pts
169Sweden11.1-0.3 pts
170Germany10.9-0.2 pts
171Hong Kong9.1-1 pts
172Denmark9-0.2 pts
173Brunei8.90 pts
174Luxembourg8.7-0.5 pts
175U.S. Virgin Islands8.3+0.2 pts
176Belarus7.9-0.2 pts
177Russia7.3-0.1 pts
178United States6.9-0.1 pts
179Macao6.4-0.4 pts
180Norway6.2+0.5 pts
181Oman4.5+0.1 pts
182United Arab Emirates3.4-0.9 pts
183Saudi Arabia3.3-0.2 pts
184Bahrain2.70 pts
185Kuwait1.20 pts
186Qatar0.5-0 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Employers, own-account workers, members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers, whose pay depends directly on the profits of what they produce, as a percentage of total employment. ILO modelled estimates, ages 15 and over.

ILO modelled estimates: model outputs that fill years without a survey, not survey results. The latest year is a nowcast and is revised as surveys arrive. Includes unpaid family workers, so it is high where small farms dominate and is not a measure of entrepreneurship.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

World Bank. (2026). Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS) (Countries by self-employed workers, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS

MLA 9

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2014. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

World Bank. 2026. Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Countries by self-employed workers, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2014,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014. Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - World Bank
TI  - Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/08
PB  - World Bank
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
ER  -
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Questions

Which country has the highest self-employed workers?

Niger, with 91.3% in 2014, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.5% in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Self-employed workers: other rankings

Countries: more rankings