Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Niger had the highest self-employed workers of 186 countries in 2016, at 91.1%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.5%. The median was 34.3% and the figure for the World was 46.6%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.1Niger
Lowest0.5Qatar
Median34.3186 countries
World46.6History

Map of countries, 2016

United Arab Emirates: 3.6 %Afghanistan: 84.9 %Albania: 58.6 %Armenia: 44 %Angola: 74.6 %Argentina: 24.8 %Austria: 13.5 %Australia: 17 %Azerbaijan: 68.2 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 23.5 %Bangladesh: 60.9 %Belgium: 14.8 %Burkina Faso: 82.9 %Bulgaria: 11.6 %Burundi: 86.6 %Benin: 83.6 %Brunei: 9 %Bolivia: 71.4 %Brazil: 30.9 %Bahamas: 14.8 %Bhutan: 72.5 %Botswana: 30.2 %Belarus: 7.9 %Belize: 33.5 %Canada: 14.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84 %Central African Republic: 85.7 %Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Switzerland: 15 %Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Chile: 24.1 %Cameroon: 75.3 %China: 41 %Colombia: 47.5 %Costa Rica: 28.3 %Cuba: 25.6 %Cape Verde: 40.7 %Cyprus: 14.3 %Czechia: 17.2 %Germany: 10.5 %Djibouti: 52.5 %Denmark: 8.8 %Dominican Republic: 43.7 %Algeria: 31.6 %Ecuador: 51.6 %Estonia: 12.3 %Egypt: 30.2 %Eritrea: 53.1 %Spain: 16.7 %Ethiopia: 86.7 %Finland: 13.8 %Fiji: 35.4 %France: 11.8 %Gabon: 33.3 %United Kingdom: 15.3 %Georgia: 53.5 %Ghana: 74.9 %Gambia: 73 %Guinea: 84.8 %Equatorial Guinea: 25.8 %Greece: 34.2 %Guatemala: 37.6 %Guinea-Bissau: 76.6 %Guyana: 35.3 %Hong Kong: 8.7 %Honduras: 42.7 %Croatia: 16.5 %Haiti: 75 %Hungary: 10.8 %Indonesia: 51.6 %Ireland: 16.2 %Israel: 12.2 %India: 79 %Iraq: 31.2 %Iran: 45.2 %Iceland: 16.5 %Italy: 23.9 %Jamaica: 39.8 %Jordan: 15 %Japan: 10.5 %Kenya: 62.9 %Kyrgyzstan: 38.3 %Cambodia: 57.8 %North Korea: 61.5 %South Korea: 25.5 %Kuwait: 1.8 %Kazakhstan: 26.9 %Laos: 80.2 %Lebanon: 29.5 %Sri Lanka: 42.2 %Liberia: 78.8 %Lesotho: 39 %Lithuania: 12.3 %Luxembourg: 11.5 %Latvia: 13.9 %Libya: 27.6 %Morocco: 42.3 %Moldova: 61.9 %Montenegro: 21.5 %Madagascar: 89.3 %North Macedonia: 23.9 %Mali: 81.1 %Myanmar: 66.1 %Mongolia: 45.4 %Mauritania: 58.5 %Mauritius: 20 %Malawi: 62.1 %Mexico: 30 %Malaysia: 26.5 %Mozambique: 86.1 %Namibia: 29.8 %New Caledonia: 14.3 %Niger: 91.1 %Nigeria: 87.3 %Nicaragua: 45.5 %Netherlands: 14.9 %Norway: 5.8 %Nepal: 80.9 %New Zealand: 20.1 %Oman: 4.8 %Panama: 37.9 %Peru: 55.3 %French Polynesia: 19 %Papua New Guinea: 79.8 %Philippines: 38.1 %Pakistan: 59.4 %Poland: 24.8 %Puerto Rico: 13.6 %Palestine: 30.5 %Portugal: 16.5 %Paraguay: 44.2 %Qatar: 0.5 %Romania: 18.4 %Serbia: 31.4 %Russia: 7.5 %Rwanda: 43.7 %Saudi Arabia: 3.2 %Solomon Islands: 70.4 %Sudan: 47.2 %Sweden: 10.8 %Singapore: 14 %Slovenia: 16.1 %Slovakia: 15.8 %Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Senegal: 72.3 %Somalia: 52.6 %Suriname: 23.2 %South Sudan: 85.1 %El Salvador: 40 %Syria: 42.8 %Eswatini: 35.8 %Chad: 91 %Togo: 81.2 %Thailand: 50.9 %Tajikistan: 33.5 %Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Turkmenistan: 34.4 %Tunisia: 26.6 %Türkiye: 32.7 %Trinidad and Tobago: 23.6 %Tanzania: 87 %Ukraine: 20.7 %Uganda: 78.5 %United States: 6.8 %Uruguay: 27.5 %Uzbekistan: 46.9 %Venezuela: 35.2 %Vietnam: 58.8 %Vanuatu: 64.3 %Samoa: 45.6 %Yemen: 50.9 %South Africa: 15.1 %Zambia: 74.6 %Zimbabwe: 71.3 %
  • Under 15
  • 15 to 25
  • 25 to 35
  • 35 to 52
  • 52 to 75
  • 75 and over
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%, 2016. 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, 2016

Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Chad: 91 %Chad91Madagascar: 89.3 %Madagascar89.3Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Sierra Leone89.1Nigeria: 87.3 %Nigeria87.3Tanzania: 87 %Tanzania87Ethiopia: 86.7 %Ethiopia86.7Burundi: 86.6 %Burundi86.6Mozambique: 86.1 %Mozambique86.1Central African Republic: 85.7 %Central African Republic85.7South Sudan: 85.1 %South Sudan85.1Afghanistan: 84.9 %Afghanistan84.9Guinea: 84.8 %Guinea84.8Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84 %Democratic Republic of the Congo84Benin: 83.6 %Benin83.6Burkina Faso: 82.9 %Burkina Faso82.9Togo: 81.2 %Togo81.2Mali: 81.1 %Mali81.1Nepal: 80.9 %Nepal80.9Laos: 80.2 %Laos80.2Papua New Guinea: 79.8 %Papua New Guinea79.8India: 79 %India79Liberia: 78.8 %Liberia78.8Uganda: 78.5 %Uganda78.5Guinea-Bissau: 76.6 %Guinea-Bissau76.6Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Republic of the Congo76.4Cameroon: 75.3 %Cameroon75.3Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Timor-Leste75.1Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Ghana: 74.9 %Ghana74.9Zambia: 74.6 %Zambia74.6Angola: 74.6 %Angola74.6Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Côte d’Ivoire73.9Gambia: 73 %Gambia73Bhutan: 72.5 %Bhutan72.5Senegal: 72.3 %Senegal72.3Bolivia: 71.4 %Bolivia71.4Zimbabwe: 71.3 %Zimbabwe71.3Solomon Islands: 70.4 %Solomon Islands70.4Azerbaijan: 68.2 %Azerbaijan68.2Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Chad: 91 %Chad91Madagascar: 89.3 %Madagascar89.3Sierra Leone: 89.1 %Sierra Leone89.1Nigeria: 87.3 %Nigeria87.3Tanzania: 87 %Tanzania87Ethiopia: 86.7 %Ethiopia86.7Burundi: 86.6 %Burundi86.6Mozambique: 86.1 %Mozambique86.1Central African Republic: 85.7 %Central African Republic85.7South Sudan: 85.1 %South Sudan85.1Afghanistan: 84.9 %Afghanistan84.9Guinea: 84.8 %Guinea84.8Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84 %Democratic Republic of the Congo84Benin: 83.6 %Benin83.6Burkina Faso: 82.9 %Burkina Faso82.9Togo: 81.2 %Togo81.2Mali: 81.1 %Mali81.1Nepal: 80.9 %Nepal80.9Laos: 80.2 %Laos80.2Papua New Guinea: 79.8 %Papua New Guinea79.8India: 79 %India79Liberia: 78.8 %Liberia78.8Uganda: 78.5 %Uganda78.5Guinea-Bissau: 76.6 %Guinea-Bissau76.6Republic of the Congo: 76.4 %Republic of the Congo76.4Cameroon: 75.3 %Cameroon75.3Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Timor-Leste75.1Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Ghana: 74.9 %Ghana74.9Zambia: 74.6 %Zambia74.6Angola: 74.6 %Angola74.6Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Côte d’Ivoire73.9Gambia: 73 %Gambia73Bhutan: 72.5 %Bhutan72.5Senegal: 72.3 %Senegal72.3Bolivia: 71.4 %Bolivia71.4Zimbabwe: 71.3 %Zimbabwe71.3Solomon Islands: 70.4 %Solomon Islands70.4Azerbaijan: 68.2 %Azerbaijan68.2
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Niger91.1-0.1 pts
2Chad91+0.2 pts
3Madagascar89.3-0.1 pts
4Sierra Leone89.1-0.1 pts
5Nigeria87.3-0.2 pts
6Tanzania87-0.3 pts
7Ethiopia86.7-0.5 pts
8Burundi86.6-0.3 pts
9Mozambique86.1-0.2 pts
10Central African Republic85.7+0.1 pts
11South Sudan85.1+0.1 pts
12Afghanistan84.9-0.8 pts
13Guinea84.8-0.7 pts
14Democratic Republic of the Congo84+0.4 pts
15Benin83.6-0.2 pts
16Burkina Faso82.90 pts
17Togo81.2-0.3 pts
18Mali81.1-1.1 pts
19Nepal80.9-0.2 pts
20Laos80.2-0.5 pts
21Papua New Guinea79.8-0.2 pts
22India79-0.6 pts
23Liberia78.8-0.2 pts
24Uganda78.5-0 pts
25Guinea-Bissau76.6-0.2 pts
26Republic of the Congo76.4+0.1 pts
27Cameroon75.3-1.2 pts
28Timor-Leste75.1-0.2 pts
29Haiti75+0.1 pts
30Ghana74.9-1.4 pts
31Zambia74.6-0.3 pts
32Angola74.60 pts
33Côte d’Ivoire73.9-1 pts
34Gambia73-0.7 pts
35Bhutan72.5-0.4 pts
36Senegal72.3+5.7 pts
37Bolivia71.4-0.3 pts
38Zimbabwe71.3-0.1 pts
39Solomon Islands70.4-0.2 pts
40Azerbaijan68.2+0.4 pts
41Myanmar66.1-0.2 pts
42Vanuatu64.3-1 pts
43Kenya62.9-0.3 pts
44Malawi62.1-0.1 pts
45Moldova61.9+1 pts
46North Korea61.5-0.1 pts
47Bangladesh60.9-0.2 pts
48Pakistan59.4-1.2 pts
49Vietnam58.8-1.9 pts
50Albania58.6-0.2 pts
51Comoros58.5-0 pts
52Mauritania58.5+0.3 pts
53Cambodia57.8-0.3 pts
54Peru55.3+0.7 pts
55Georgia53.5-0.6 pts
56Eritrea53.1-0.1 pts
57Tonga52.6-0.4 pts
58Somalia52.6-0.3 pts
59Djibouti52.5-0.4 pts
60Indonesia51.6+0.1 pts
61Ecuador51.6+3.8 pts
62Thailand50.9-0.6 pts
63Yemen50.9+0.6 pts
64Colombia47.5-0 pts
65Sudan47.2+0.1 pts
66Uzbekistan46.9-0.2 pts
67Samoa45.6-0.1 pts
68Nicaragua45.5-0.3 pts
69Mongolia45.4-2.8 pts
70Iran45.2+0.8 pts
71São Tomé and Príncipe44.3-0.3 pts
72Paraguay44.2+0.5 pts
73Armenia44-0.9 pts
74Dominican Republic43.7-1.3 pts
75Rwanda43.7-0.2 pts
76Syria42.8+0.6 pts
77Honduras42.7-3.1 pts
78Morocco42.3-0.1 pts
79Sri Lanka42.2-1.7 pts
80China41-0.5 pts
81Cape Verde40.7+0.5 pts
82El Salvador40-0.4 pts
83Jamaica39.8-0.3 pts
84Lesotho39-0.2 pts
85Kyrgyzstan38.3-1.7 pts
86Philippines38.1-0.4 pts
87Panama37.9+2.1 pts
88Guatemala37.6-2 pts
89Eswatini35.8-0.2 pts
90Fiji35.4-3.7 pts
91Guyana35.3-0.3 pts
92Venezuela35.2+0.1 pts
93Turkmenistan34.4-0.3 pts
94Greece34.2-0.9 pts
95Belize33.5+1.1 pts
96Tajikistan33.5-0.3 pts
97Gabon33.3-0.1 pts
98Türkiye32.7-0.7 pts
99Algeria31.6+0.2 pts
100Serbia31.4+1.3 pts
101Iraq31.2-0.7 pts
102Brazil30.9+0.4 pts
103Palestine30.5-0.8 pts
104Botswana30.2-0.2 pts
105Egypt30.20 pts
106Mexico30-0.4 pts
107Namibia29.8-2.1 pts
108Lebanon29.5+0.1 pts
109Saint Lucia28.6-0 pts
110Costa Rica28.3-1.1 pts
111Libya27.6+0.7 pts
112Uruguay27.5+0.5 pts
113Kazakhstan26.9-0 pts
114Tunisia26.6+0.3 pts
115Malaysia26.5-0.2 pts
116Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.20 pts
117Equatorial Guinea25.8+0.7 pts
118Cuba25.6+1.2 pts
119South Korea25.5-0.3 pts
120Poland24.8-0.6 pts
121Argentina24.8+0.6 pts
122Chile24.1+0.7 pts
123Maldives24-0.3 pts
124Italy23.9-0.4 pts
125North Macedonia23.9-2.2 pts
126Trinidad and Tobago23.6+1.3 pts
127Bosnia and Herzegovina23.5+0.2 pts
128Suriname23.2+0.4 pts
129Montenegro21.5+0.6 pts
130Ukraine20.7+0.1 pts
131New Zealand20.1-0.1 pts
132Mauritius20-0.3 pts
133French Polynesia19-0 pts
134Romania18.4-2.4 pts
135Barbados18.2+1.2 pts
136Czechia17.2-0.2 pts
137Australia17+0.4 pts
138Spain16.7-0.7 pts
139Portugal16.5-0.6 pts
140Iceland16.5-0.2 pts
141Croatia16.5-0.9 pts
142Ireland16.2-0.2 pts
143Slovenia16.1-1.8 pts
144Guam15.9-0.1 pts
145Slovakia15.8+0.3 pts
146United Kingdom15.3+0.3 pts
147South Africa15.1+0.5 pts
148Switzerland150 pts
149Jordan15+0.1 pts
150Canada14.9-0.1 pts
151Netherlands14.9-0.1 pts
152Belgium14.8-0.3 pts
153Bahamas14.8-0.1 pts
154Malta14.5-0 pts
155New Caledonia14.30 pts
156Cyprus14.3-0.6 pts
157Singapore14-0 pts
158Latvia13.9+0.1 pts
159Finland13.8-0.5 pts
160Puerto Rico13.6+1.8 pts
161Austria13.5-0.3 pts
162Lithuania12.3+0.1 pts
163Estonia12.3-0 pts
164Israel12.2+0.2 pts
165France11.8+0.2 pts
166Bulgaria11.6-0.7 pts
167Luxembourg11.5+0.2 pts
168Hungary10.8-0.2 pts
169Sweden10.8-0.3 pts
170Germany10.5-0.2 pts
171Japan10.5-0.4 pts
172Brunei9-0 pts
173Denmark8.8-0.1 pts
174Hong Kong8.7-0.2 pts
175U.S. Virgin Islands8.5+0.1 pts
176Belarus7.90 pts
177Russia7.5+0.3 pts
178United States6.8-0.1 pts
179Macao6.4-0.3 pts
180Norway5.8-0.1 pts
181Oman4.8+0.1 pts
182United Arab Emirates3.60 pts
183Saudi Arabia3.2-0.1 pts
184Bahrain2.7-0 pts
185Kuwait1.8+0.7 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, 2016) [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, 2016. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2016,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2016.
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 91.1% in 2016, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.5% in 2016.

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