Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 186 countries in 2018, at 91.1%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.6%. The median was 34.1% and the figure for the World was 46.3%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.1Chad
Lowest0.6Qatar
Median34.1186 countries
World46.3History

Map of countries, 2018

United Arab Emirates: 4 %Afghanistan: 84 %Albania: 55.5 %Armenia: 42 %Angola: 74.8 %Argentina: 25.5 %Austria: 12.8 %Australia: 16.6 %Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 20.5 %Bangladesh: 60.6 %Belgium: 14.6 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 12 %Burundi: 86 %Benin: 83.1 %Brunei: 7.6 %Bolivia: 70.4 %Brazil: 31.9 %Bahamas: 14.7 %Bhutan: 71.8 %Botswana: 29.8 %Belarus: 7.9 %Belize: 31.4 %Canada: 15.1 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84.8 %Central African Republic: 85.6 %Republic of the Congo: 76.5 %Switzerland: 14.7 %Côte d’Ivoire: 74 %Chile: 24.6 %Cameroon: 73 %China: 40 %Colombia: 48 %Costa Rica: 28.4 %Cuba: 26.8 %Cape Verde: 40.8 %Cyprus: 13.3 %Czechia: 16.9 %Germany: 9.9 %Djibouti: 51.8 %Denmark: 8.1 %Dominican Republic: 44 %Algeria: 31.6 %Ecuador: 52.9 %Estonia: 12.2 %Egypt: 31.3 %Eritrea: 53.1 %Spain: 16.1 %Ethiopia: 85.8 %Finland: 12.9 %Fiji: 35 %France: 11.6 %Gabon: 33.2 %United Kingdom: 15.1 %Georgia: 49.6 %Ghana: 71.9 %Gambia: 71.5 %Guinea: 83.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 27.3 %Greece: 33.6 %Guatemala: 40.6 %Guinea-Bissau: 76.2 %Guyana: 34.5 %Hong Kong: 8.5 %Honduras: 46.5 %Croatia: 15.5 %Haiti: 75 %Hungary: 10.5 %Indonesia: 52.5 %Ireland: 15 %Israel: 11.4 %India: 77.8 %Iraq: 29.8 %Iran: 45.5 %Iceland: 16.1 %Italy: 23 %Jamaica: 39 %Jordan: 12.7 %Japan: 10.2 %Kenya: 62.3 %Kyrgyzstan: 35 %Cambodia: 57.1 %North Korea: 61.6 %South Korea: 25.1 %Kuwait: 2 %Kazakhstan: 26.8 %Laos: 79.3 %Lebanon: 29.5 %Sri Lanka: 42.2 %Liberia: 78.6 %Lesotho: 39 %Lithuania: 11.7 %Luxembourg: 9.1 %Latvia: 13.2 %Libya: 27.7 %Morocco: 41.7 %Moldova: 59.8 %Montenegro: 21.9 %Madagascar: 89 %North Macedonia: 22.6 %Mali: 81 %Myanmar: 66.1 %Mongolia: 46 %Mauritania: 58.5 %Mauritius: 19.2 %Malawi: 62 %Mexico: 29.9 %Malaysia: 26.1 %Mozambique: 85.8 %Namibia: 37.6 %New Caledonia: 14.2 %Niger: 91.1 %Nigeria: 86.8 %Nicaragua: 45 %Netherlands: 14.8 %Norway: 5.3 %Nepal: 80.2 %New Zealand: 19.7 %Oman: 4.8 %Panama: 39.5 %Peru: 55.9 %French Polynesia: 18.9 %Papua New Guinea: 79.4 %Philippines: 35.9 %Pakistan: 57 %Poland: 24.2 %Puerto Rico: 16.6 %Palestine: 30.3 %Portugal: 15.5 %Paraguay: 43 %Qatar: 0.6 %Romania: 17 %Serbia: 28.3 %Russia: 6.9 %Rwanda: 43.2 %Saudi Arabia: 2.6 %Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Sudan: 47.8 %Sweden: 10.5 %Singapore: 13.7 %Slovenia: 16.3 %Slovakia: 15.2 %Sierra Leone: 89 %Senegal: 68 %Somalia: 52 %Suriname: 23.6 %South Sudan: 84.2 %El Salvador: 38.9 %Syria: 43 %Eswatini: 34.3 %Chad: 91.1 %Togo: 80.4 %Thailand: 51.5 %Tajikistan: 33 %Timor-Leste: 75 %Turkmenistan: 33.9 %Tunisia: 25.4 %Türkiye: 32.2 %Trinidad and Tobago: 24.1 %Tanzania: 86.4 %Ukraine: 20.8 %Uganda: 79.2 %United States: 6.7 %Uruguay: 27.9 %Uzbekistan: 46.5 %Venezuela: 37.7 %Vietnam: 56.1 %Vanuatu: 62.1 %Samoa: 45.5 %Yemen: 51.9 %South Africa: 15.6 %Zambia: 74.2 %Zimbabwe: 71 %
  • Under 15
  • 15 to 24
  • 24 to 35
  • 35 to 52
  • 52 to 74
  • 74 and over
  • No data
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Chad: 91.1 %Chad91.1Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Sierra Leone: 89 %Sierra Leone89Madagascar: 89 %Madagascar89Nigeria: 86.8 %Nigeria86.8Tanzania: 86.4 %Tanzania86.4Burundi: 86 %Burundi86Mozambique: 85.8 %Mozambique85.8Ethiopia: 85.8 %Ethiopia85.8Central African Republic: 85.6 %Central African Republic85.6Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84.8 %Democratic Republic of the Congo84.8South Sudan: 84.2 %South Sudan84.2Afghanistan: 84 %Afghanistan84Guinea: 83.2 %Guinea83.2Benin: 83.1 %Benin83.1Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 81 %Mali81Togo: 80.4 %Togo80.4Nepal: 80.2 %Nepal80.2Papua New Guinea: 79.4 %Papua New Guinea79.4Laos: 79.3 %Laos79.3Uganda: 79.2 %Uganda79.2Liberia: 78.6 %Liberia78.6India: 77.8 %India77.8Republic of the Congo: 76.5 %Republic of the Congo76.5Guinea-Bissau: 76.2 %Guinea-Bissau76.2Timor-Leste: 75 %Timor-Leste75Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Angola: 74.8 %Angola74.8Zambia: 74.2 %Zambia74.2Côte d’Ivoire: 74 %Côte d’Ivoire74Cameroon: 73 %Cameroon73Ghana: 71.9 %Ghana71.9Bhutan: 71.8 %Bhutan71.8Gambia: 71.5 %Gambia71.5Zimbabwe: 71 %Zimbabwe71Bolivia: 70.4 %Bolivia70.4Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Solomon Islands70.1Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Azerbaijan68.3Senegal: 68 %Senegal68Chad: 91.1 %Chad91.1Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Sierra Leone: 89 %Sierra Leone89Madagascar: 89 %Madagascar89Nigeria: 86.8 %Nigeria86.8Tanzania: 86.4 %Tanzania86.4Burundi: 86 %Burundi86Mozambique: 85.8 %Mozambique85.8Ethiopia: 85.8 %Ethiopia85.8Central African Republic: 85.6 %Central African Republic85.6Democratic Republic of the Congo: 84.8 %Democratic Republic of the Congo84.8South Sudan: 84.2 %South Sudan84.2Afghanistan: 84 %Afghanistan84Guinea: 83.2 %Guinea83.2Benin: 83.1 %Benin83.1Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 81 %Mali81Togo: 80.4 %Togo80.4Nepal: 80.2 %Nepal80.2Papua New Guinea: 79.4 %Papua New Guinea79.4Laos: 79.3 %Laos79.3Uganda: 79.2 %Uganda79.2Liberia: 78.6 %Liberia78.6India: 77.8 %India77.8Republic of the Congo: 76.5 %Republic of the Congo76.5Guinea-Bissau: 76.2 %Guinea-Bissau76.2Timor-Leste: 75 %Timor-Leste75Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Angola: 74.8 %Angola74.8Zambia: 74.2 %Zambia74.2Côte d’Ivoire: 74 %Côte d’Ivoire74Cameroon: 73 %Cameroon73Ghana: 71.9 %Ghana71.9Bhutan: 71.8 %Bhutan71.8Gambia: 71.5 %Gambia71.5Zimbabwe: 71 %Zimbabwe71Bolivia: 70.4 %Bolivia70.4Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Solomon Islands70.1Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Azerbaijan68.3Senegal: 68 %Senegal68
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Chad91.1-0.1 pts
2Niger91.1+0.1 pts
3Sierra Leone89-0.1 pts
4Madagascar89-0.2 pts
5Nigeria86.8-0.2 pts
6Tanzania86.4-0.3 pts
7Burundi86-0.3 pts
8Mozambique85.8-0.1 pts
9Ethiopia85.8-0.4 pts
10Central African Republic85.6-0.1 pts
11Democratic Republic of the Congo84.8+0.4 pts
12South Sudan84.2-0.6 pts
13Afghanistan84+0.1 pts
14Guinea83.2-0.8 pts
15Benin83.1-0.3 pts
16Burkina Faso82.8-0 pts
17Mali81+0.6 pts
18Togo80.4-0.4 pts
19Nepal80.2-0.4 pts
20Papua New Guinea79.4-0.1 pts
21Laos79.3-0.4 pts
22Uganda79.2+0.7 pts
23Liberia78.6-0.1 pts
24India77.8-0.6 pts
25Republic of the Congo76.50 pts
26Guinea-Bissau76.2-0.2 pts
27Timor-Leste75-0 pts
28Haiti75-0.1 pts
29Angola74.8+0.1 pts
30Zambia74.2-0.3 pts
31Côte d’Ivoire74-0.3 pts
32Cameroon73-1.2 pts
33Ghana71.9-1.5 pts
34Bhutan71.8-0.3 pts
35Gambia71.5-0.8 pts
36Zimbabwe71-0.1 pts
37Bolivia70.4-0.3 pts
38Solomon Islands70.1-0.1 pts
39Azerbaijan68.3+0.1 pts
40Senegal68-2.4 pts
41Myanmar66.1+0.2 pts
42Kenya62.3-0.3 pts
43Vanuatu62.1-1.1 pts
44Malawi62-0.1 pts
45North Korea61.6+0.1 pts
46Bangladesh60.6-0 pts
47Moldova59.8-0.5 pts
48Mauritania58.5-0.3 pts
49Comoros58.3-0.1 pts
50Cambodia57.1-0.3 pts
51Pakistan57-1.2 pts
52Vietnam56.1-1.1 pts
53Peru55.9+0.4 pts
54Albania55.5-0.3 pts
55Eritrea53.1-0.1 pts
56Ecuador52.9+0.6 pts
57Indonesia52.5+0.8 pts
58Somalia52-0.3 pts
59Yemen51.9+0.5 pts
60Djibouti51.8-0.4 pts
61Tonga51.8-0.4 pts
62Thailand51.5+0.9 pts
63Georgia49.6-2.5 pts
64Colombia48+0.3 pts
65Sudan47.8+0.3 pts
66Honduras46.5-0.3 pts
67Uzbekistan46.5-0.2 pts
68Mongolia46-1.2 pts
69Iran45.5-0.1 pts
70Samoa45.5-0.1 pts
71Nicaragua45-0.1 pts
72Dominican Republic44-0.6 pts
73São Tomé and Príncipe43.7-0.3 pts
74Rwanda43.2-0 pts
75Paraguay43+0.7 pts
76Syria430 pts
77Sri Lanka42.2-0.1 pts
78Armenia42-0.3 pts
79Morocco41.7-0.3 pts
80Cape Verde40.8-0.3 pts
81Guatemala40.6+0.1 pts
82China40-0.5 pts
83Panama39.5+2.3 pts
84Jamaica39-0.4 pts
85Lesotho39-0 pts
86El Salvador38.9-1.4 pts
87Venezuela37.7+1.5 pts
88Namibia37.6+3.9 pts
89Philippines35.9-1.3 pts
90Kyrgyzstan35-0.2 pts
91Fiji35-0.2 pts
92Guyana34.5-0.4 pts
93Eswatini34.3-0.8 pts
94Turkmenistan33.9-0.3 pts
95Greece33.6-0.6 pts
96Gabon33.2-0 pts
97Tajikistan33-0.3 pts
98Türkiye32.2-0.7 pts
99Brazil31.9+0.4 pts
100Algeria31.6-0.1 pts
101Belize31.4-1.9 pts
102Egypt31.3-0.7 pts
103Palestine30.3+0.7 pts
104Mexico29.9+0.2 pts
105Botswana29.8-0.2 pts
106Iraq29.8-0.4 pts
107Lebanon29.5-0 pts
108Costa Rica28.4+0.2 pts
109Serbia28.3-2.3 pts
110Saint Lucia28.1-0.5 pts
111Uruguay27.9+0.1 pts
112Libya27.7-0.1 pts
113Equatorial Guinea27.3+0.7 pts
114Kazakhstan26.8-0 pts
115Cuba26.8-0.1 pts
116Malaysia26.1-0.2 pts
117Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.1-0.1 pts
118Argentina25.5+0.2 pts
119Tunisia25.4+0.8 pts
120South Korea25.1-0.3 pts
121Chile24.6-0.4 pts
122Poland24.2-0.2 pts
123Trinidad and Tobago24.1+0.2 pts
124Suriname23.6+0.1 pts
125Italy23-0.2 pts
126North Macedonia22.6-0.5 pts
127Maldives22.5-0.7 pts
128Montenegro21.9-0.1 pts
129Ukraine20.80 pts
130Bosnia and Herzegovina20.5-3.2 pts
131Barbados20.3+0.7 pts
132New Zealand19.7-0.2 pts
133Mauritius19.2-0.8 pts
134French Polynesia18.9-0.1 pts
135Romania17-1.1 pts
136Czechia16.9-0.2 pts
137Puerto Rico16.6+1.2 pts
138Australia16.6-0.3 pts
139Slovenia16.3-0.1 pts
140Iceland16.1-0.2 pts
141Spain16.1-0.6 pts
142Guam15.8-0 pts
143South Africa15.6+0.1 pts
144Portugal15.5-0.3 pts
145Croatia15.5-0.4 pts
146Slovakia15.2-0.4 pts
147United Kingdom15.1-0.3 pts
148Canada15.1+0.2 pts
149Ireland15-0.4 pts
150Netherlands14.80 pts
151Switzerland14.7-0.3 pts
152Bahamas14.70 pts
153Belgium14.6+0.1 pts
154Malta14.4-0.2 pts
155New Caledonia14.2-0 pts
156Singapore13.7-0.1 pts
157Cyprus13.3+0.1 pts
158Latvia13.2-0 pts
159Finland12.9-0.1 pts
160Austria12.8-0.3 pts
161Jordan12.7-2.1 pts
162Estonia12.2-0.2 pts
163Bulgaria12+0.1 pts
164Lithuania11.7-0.3 pts
165France11.60 pts
166Israel11.4-0.5 pts
167Sweden10.5-0.1 pts
168Hungary10.5+0.2 pts
169Japan10.2-0.1 pts
170Germany9.9-0.4 pts
171Luxembourg9.1-1.1 pts
172U.S. Virgin Islands8.60 pts
173Hong Kong8.5-0.2 pts
174Denmark8.1-0.2 pts
175Belarus7.9-0.3 pts
176Brunei7.6-1.3 pts
177Russia6.9+0.2 pts
178United States6.70 pts
179Macao6.3-0.2 pts
180Norway5.3-0.2 pts
181Oman4.8-0.1 pts
182United Arab Emirates4+0.5 pts
183Saudi Arabia2.6-0.4 pts
184Bahrain2.6-0.1 pts
185Kuwait2+0.1 pts
186Qatar0.6+0.1 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, 2018) [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, 2018. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2018,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2018.
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?

Chad, with 91.1% in 2018, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.6% in 2018.

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