Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 186 countries in 2019, at 91.2%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.8%. The median was 33.5% and the figure for the World was 46.2%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.2Chad
Lowest0.8Qatar
Median33.5186 countries
World46.2History

Map of countries, 2019

United Arab Emirates: 4.9 %Afghanistan: 84 %Albania: 54.3 %Armenia: 39.5 %Angola: 74.8 %Argentina: 26.5 %Austria: 12.8 %Australia: 16.8 %Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 24 %Bangladesh: 60.6 %Belgium: 14.8 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 11.5 %Burundi: 85.7 %Benin: 82.7 %Brunei: 9 %Bolivia: 68.1 %Brazil: 32.2 %Bahamas: 14.7 %Bhutan: 71.6 %Botswana: 29.6 %Belarus: 7.9 %Belize: 35.2 %Canada: 14.8 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Central African Republic: 85.5 %Republic of the Congo: 76.7 %Switzerland: 14.3 %Côte d’Ivoire: 73.7 %Chile: 24.4 %Cameroon: 71.8 %China: 39.6 %Colombia: 46.1 %Costa Rica: 28.4 %Cuba: 27 %Cape Verde: 40.1 %Cyprus: 13.7 %Czechia: 16.8 %Germany: 9.6 %Djibouti: 51.4 %Denmark: 8.3 %Dominican Republic: 42.4 %Algeria: 31.5 %Ecuador: 54.2 %Estonia: 12.1 %Egypt: 28.9 %Eritrea: 52.9 %Spain: 15.7 %Ethiopia: 85.4 %Finland: 13.2 %Fiji: 34.8 %France: 12.1 %Gabon: 33.1 %United Kingdom: 15 %Georgia: 50.1 %Ghana: 70.5 %Gambia: 70.7 %Guinea: 82.6 %Equatorial Guinea: 27.9 %Greece: 32 %Guatemala: 36.6 %Guinea-Bissau: 76 %Guyana: 34.3 %Hong Kong: 8.7 %Honduras: 45.2 %Croatia: 15.2 %Haiti: 75 %Hungary: 10.8 %Indonesia: 52.4 %Ireland: 14.4 %Israel: 11.2 %India: 77.2 %Iraq: 31 %Iran: 45 %Iceland: 15.9 %Italy: 22.8 %Jamaica: 37.7 %Jordan: 12.4 %Japan: 9.9 %Kenya: 62 %Kyrgyzstan: 33 %Cambodia: 56.7 %North Korea: 61.6 %South Korea: 24.6 %Kuwait: 2.2 %Kazakhstan: 26.8 %Laos: 78.8 %Lebanon: 29.3 %Sri Lanka: 42.1 %Liberia: 78.5 %Lesotho: 39.1 %Lithuania: 11.7 %Luxembourg: 10.3 %Latvia: 13 %Libya: 27.6 %Morocco: 41.3 %Moldova: 59.5 %Montenegro: 20.6 %Madagascar: 88.8 %North Macedonia: 20.6 %Mali: 82.7 %Myanmar: 65.5 %Mongolia: 45.7 %Mauritania: 58.2 %Mauritius: 19.2 %Malawi: 61.8 %Mexico: 30.3 %Malaysia: 26 %Mozambique: 85.8 %Namibia: 37.5 %New Caledonia: 14.2 %Niger: 91.1 %Nigeria: 86.6 %Nicaragua: 45 %Netherlands: 14.6 %Norway: 5.2 %Nepal: 79.9 %New Zealand: 19.5 %Oman: 4.8 %Panama: 41.3 %Peru: 55.6 %French Polynesia: 18.7 %Papua New Guinea: 79.3 %Philippines: 35.5 %Pakistan: 59.7 %Poland: 23.8 %Puerto Rico: 14.9 %Palestine: 28.6 %Portugal: 15.8 %Paraguay: 42.9 %Qatar: 0.8 %Romania: 16 %Serbia: 27.7 %Russia: 6.8 %Rwanda: 42.9 %Saudi Arabia: 5.2 %Solomon Islands: 70 %Sudan: 48 %Sweden: 10.7 %Singapore: 13.7 %Slovenia: 14.9 %Slovakia: 15.4 %Sierra Leone: 88.9 %Senegal: 65.7 %Somalia: 51.8 %Suriname: 23.7 %South Sudan: 83.6 %El Salvador: 39.1 %Syria: 42.9 %Eswatini: 33.4 %Chad: 91.2 %Togo: 80 %Thailand: 50.3 %Tajikistan: 32.8 %Timor-Leste: 74.6 %Turkmenistan: 33.6 %Tunisia: 26.3 %Türkiye: 31.8 %Trinidad and Tobago: 24.3 %Tanzania: 86.1 %Ukraine: 21.5 %Uganda: 79.9 %United States: 6.5 %Uruguay: 27.8 %Uzbekistan: 46.3 %Venezuela: 39.3 %Vietnam: 55.7 %Vanuatu: 61 %Samoa: 45.3 %Yemen: 52.2 %South Africa: 16.3 %Zambia: 74.4 %Zimbabwe: 70.9 %
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 24
  • 24 to 35
  • 35 to 52
  • 52 to 74
  • 74 and over
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%, 2019. 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, 2019

Chad: 91.2 %Chad91.2Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Sierra Leone: 88.9 %Sierra Leone88.9Madagascar: 88.8 %Madagascar88.8Nigeria: 86.6 %Nigeria86.6Tanzania: 86.1 %Tanzania86.1Mozambique: 85.8 %Mozambique85.8Burundi: 85.7 %Burundi85.7Central African Republic: 85.5 %Central African Republic85.5Ethiopia: 85.4 %Ethiopia85.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3Afghanistan: 84 %Afghanistan84South Sudan: 83.6 %South Sudan83.6Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 82.7 %Mali82.7Benin: 82.7 %Benin82.7Guinea: 82.6 %Guinea82.6Togo: 80 %Togo80Uganda: 79.9 %Uganda79.9Nepal: 79.9 %Nepal79.9Papua New Guinea: 79.3 %Papua New Guinea79.3Laos: 78.8 %Laos78.8Liberia: 78.5 %Liberia78.5India: 77.2 %India77.2Republic of the Congo: 76.7 %Republic of the Congo76.7Guinea-Bissau: 76 %Guinea-Bissau76Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Angola: 74.8 %Angola74.8Timor-Leste: 74.6 %Timor-Leste74.6Zambia: 74.4 %Zambia74.4Côte d’Ivoire: 73.7 %Côte d’Ivoire73.7Cameroon: 71.8 %Cameroon71.8Bhutan: 71.6 %Bhutan71.6Zimbabwe: 70.9 %Zimbabwe70.9Gambia: 70.7 %Gambia70.7Ghana: 70.5 %Ghana70.5Solomon Islands: 70 %Solomon Islands70Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Azerbaijan68.3Bolivia: 68.1 %Bolivia68.1Senegal: 65.7 %Senegal65.7Chad: 91.2 %Chad91.2Niger: 91.1 %Niger91.1Sierra Leone: 88.9 %Sierra Leone88.9Madagascar: 88.8 %Madagascar88.8Nigeria: 86.6 %Nigeria86.6Tanzania: 86.1 %Tanzania86.1Mozambique: 85.8 %Mozambique85.8Burundi: 85.7 %Burundi85.7Central African Republic: 85.5 %Central African Republic85.5Ethiopia: 85.4 %Ethiopia85.4Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3Afghanistan: 84 %Afghanistan84South Sudan: 83.6 %South Sudan83.6Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Mali: 82.7 %Mali82.7Benin: 82.7 %Benin82.7Guinea: 82.6 %Guinea82.6Togo: 80 %Togo80Uganda: 79.9 %Uganda79.9Nepal: 79.9 %Nepal79.9Papua New Guinea: 79.3 %Papua New Guinea79.3Laos: 78.8 %Laos78.8Liberia: 78.5 %Liberia78.5India: 77.2 %India77.2Republic of the Congo: 76.7 %Republic of the Congo76.7Guinea-Bissau: 76 %Guinea-Bissau76Haiti: 75 %Haiti75Angola: 74.8 %Angola74.8Timor-Leste: 74.6 %Timor-Leste74.6Zambia: 74.4 %Zambia74.4Côte d’Ivoire: 73.7 %Côte d’Ivoire73.7Cameroon: 71.8 %Cameroon71.8Bhutan: 71.6 %Bhutan71.6Zimbabwe: 70.9 %Zimbabwe70.9Gambia: 70.7 %Gambia70.7Ghana: 70.5 %Ghana70.5Solomon Islands: 70 %Solomon Islands70Azerbaijan: 68.3 %Azerbaijan68.3Bolivia: 68.1 %Bolivia68.1Senegal: 65.7 %Senegal65.7
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Chad91.2+0.1 pts
2Niger91.1+0.1 pts
3Sierra Leone88.9-0.1 pts
4Madagascar88.8-0.2 pts
5Nigeria86.6-0.2 pts
6Tanzania86.1-0.3 pts
7Mozambique85.8-0.1 pts
8Burundi85.7-0.3 pts
9Central African Republic85.5-0.1 pts
10Ethiopia85.4-0.4 pts
11Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3+0.5 pts
12Afghanistan84-0 pts
13South Sudan83.6-0.7 pts
14Burkina Faso82.8-0 pts
15Mali82.7+1.7 pts
16Benin82.7-0.3 pts
17Guinea82.6-0.7 pts
18Togo80-0.3 pts
19Uganda79.9+0.7 pts
20Nepal79.9-0.4 pts
21Papua New Guinea79.3-0.1 pts
22Laos78.8-0.4 pts
23Liberia78.5-0.1 pts
24India77.2-0.6 pts
25Republic of the Congo76.7+0.1 pts
26Guinea-Bissau76-0.2 pts
27Haiti75+0.1 pts
28Angola74.8+0.1 pts
29Timor-Leste74.6-0.5 pts
30Zambia74.4+0.2 pts
31Côte d’Ivoire73.7-0.3 pts
32Cameroon71.8-1.1 pts
33Bhutan71.6-0.2 pts
34Zimbabwe70.9-0.1 pts
35Gambia70.7-0.8 pts
36Ghana70.5-1.5 pts
37Solomon Islands70-0.1 pts
38Azerbaijan68.3-0 pts
39Bolivia68.1-2.2 pts
40Senegal65.7-2.3 pts
41Myanmar65.5-0.6 pts
42Kenya62-0.3 pts
43Malawi61.8-0.1 pts
44North Korea61.60 pts
45Vanuatu61-1.1 pts
46Bangladesh60.6-0 pts
47Pakistan59.7+2.7 pts
48Moldova59.5-0.3 pts
49Comoros58.3-0.1 pts
50Mauritania58.2-0.3 pts
51Cambodia56.7-0.4 pts
52Vietnam55.7-0.4 pts
53Peru55.6-0.3 pts
54Albania54.3-1.2 pts
55Ecuador54.2+1.3 pts
56Eritrea52.9-0.2 pts
57Indonesia52.4-0 pts
58Yemen52.2+0.3 pts
59Somalia51.8-0.2 pts
60Djibouti51.4-0.4 pts
61Thailand50.3-1.2 pts
62Georgia50.1+0.6 pts
63Tonga49.8-2 pts
64Sudan48+0.2 pts
65Uzbekistan46.3-0.2 pts
66Colombia46.1-1.9 pts
67Mongolia45.7-0.3 pts
68Samoa45.3-0.2 pts
69Honduras45.2-1.3 pts
70Nicaragua45-0 pts
71Iran45-0.6 pts
72São Tomé and Príncipe43.4-0.3 pts
73Rwanda42.9-0.3 pts
74Paraguay42.9-0.1 pts
75Syria42.9-0.1 pts
76Dominican Republic42.4-1.6 pts
77Sri Lanka42.1-0.1 pts
78Morocco41.3-0.4 pts
79Panama41.3+1.8 pts
80Cape Verde40.1-0.8 pts
81China39.6-0.5 pts
82Armenia39.5-2.6 pts
83Venezuela39.3+1.6 pts
84El Salvador39.1+0.3 pts
85Lesotho39.1+0.1 pts
86Jamaica37.7-1.3 pts
87Namibia37.5-0 pts
88Guatemala36.6-4 pts
89Philippines35.5-0.4 pts
90Belize35.2+3.8 pts
91Fiji34.8-0.2 pts
92Guyana34.3-0.1 pts
93Turkmenistan33.6-0.2 pts
94Eswatini33.4-0.9 pts
95Gabon33.1-0.1 pts
96Kyrgyzstan33-2 pts
97Tajikistan32.8-0.3 pts
98Brazil32.2+0.3 pts
99Greece32-1.6 pts
100Türkiye31.8-0.5 pts
101Algeria31.5-0.1 pts
102Iraq31+1.3 pts
103Mexico30.3+0.3 pts
104Botswana29.6-0.2 pts
105Saint Lucia29.6+1.5 pts
106Lebanon29.3-0.2 pts
107Egypt28.9-2.4 pts
108Palestine28.6-1.7 pts
109Costa Rica28.40 pts
110Equatorial Guinea27.9+0.6 pts
111Uruguay27.8-0 pts
112Serbia27.7-0.6 pts
113Libya27.6-0.1 pts
114Cuba27+0.1 pts
115Kazakhstan26.8-0.1 pts
116Argentina26.5+1 pts
117Tunisia26.3+0.9 pts
118Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.2+0.1 pts
119Malaysia26-0.2 pts
120South Korea24.6-0.5 pts
121Chile24.4-0.2 pts
122Trinidad and Tobago24.3+0.3 pts
123Bosnia and Herzegovina24+3.5 pts
124Poland23.8-0.4 pts
125Suriname23.7+0.1 pts
126Italy22.8-0.2 pts
127Maldives21.8-0.7 pts
128Ukraine21.5+0.6 pts
129North Macedonia20.6-2 pts
130Montenegro20.6-1.3 pts
131Barbados20.6+0.3 pts
132New Zealand19.5-0.3 pts
133Mauritius19.20 pts
134French Polynesia18.7-0.1 pts
135Australia16.8+0.2 pts
136Czechia16.8-0.1 pts
137South Africa16.3+0.8 pts
138Romania16-1 pts
139Iceland15.9-0.2 pts
140Portugal15.8+0.2 pts
141Spain15.7-0.4 pts
142Guam15.7-0.1 pts
143Slovakia15.4+0.2 pts
144Croatia15.2-0.3 pts
145United Kingdom15-0.1 pts
146Puerto Rico14.9-1.7 pts
147Slovenia14.9-1.3 pts
148Canada14.8-0.3 pts
149Belgium14.8+0.2 pts
150Bahamas14.7-0 pts
151Netherlands14.6-0.2 pts
152Malta14.5+0.1 pts
153Ireland14.4-0.6 pts
154Switzerland14.3-0.4 pts
155New Caledonia14.2-0 pts
156Singapore13.7-0 pts
157Cyprus13.7+0.4 pts
158Finland13.2+0.3 pts
159Latvia13-0.2 pts
160Austria12.8-0 pts
161Jordan12.4-0.3 pts
162France12.1+0.4 pts
163Estonia12.1-0.1 pts
164Lithuania11.7-0 pts
165Bulgaria11.5-0.5 pts
166Israel11.2-0.2 pts
167Hungary10.8+0.3 pts
168Sweden10.7+0.1 pts
169Luxembourg10.3+1.2 pts
170Japan9.9-0.2 pts
171Germany9.6-0.3 pts
172Brunei9+1.4 pts
173Hong Kong8.7+0.1 pts
174U.S. Virgin Islands8.5-0.1 pts
175Denmark8.3+0.2 pts
176Belarus7.90 pts
177Russia6.8-0.1 pts
178United States6.5-0.2 pts
179Macao6.5+0.2 pts
180Saudi Arabia5.2+2.6 pts
181Norway5.2-0.1 pts
182United Arab Emirates4.9+1 pts
183Oman4.8+0.1 pts
184Bahrain2.5-0.1 pts
185Kuwait2.2+0.2 pts
186Qatar0.8+0.2 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, 2019) [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, 2019. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2019 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2019 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2019,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2019.
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 91.2% in 2019, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.8% in 2019.

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