Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 186 countries in 2020, at 91.8%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.9%. The median was 33.5% and the figure for the World was 46.7%. Source: the World Bank.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest91.8Chad
Lowest0.9Qatar
Median33.5186 countries
World46.7History

Map of countries, 2020

United Arab Emirates: 4.8 %Afghanistan: 84.3 %Albania: 53.8 %Armenia: 39.7 %Angola: 75.4 %Argentina: 27 %Austria: 12.9 %Australia: 16.7 %Azerbaijan: 68.1 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 23.7 %Bangladesh: 61.5 %Belgium: 15.5 %Burkina Faso: 84.2 %Bulgaria: 10.7 %Burundi: 85.5 %Benin: 83.1 %Brunei: 9.6 %Bolivia: 69.8 %Brazil: 32.5 %Bahamas: 15.2 %Bhutan: 71.3 %Botswana: 29 %Belarus: 7.6 %Belize: 36 %Canada: 15.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 86.6 %Central African Republic: 86.3 %Republic of the Congo: 77.5 %Switzerland: 14.3 %Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Chile: 25.1 %Cameroon: 71.5 %China: 39.5 %Colombia: 47.3 %Costa Rica: 28.8 %Cuba: 26.5 %Cape Verde: 40.5 %Cyprus: 13.8 %Czechia: 16.9 %Germany: 8.9 %Djibouti: 52.2 %Denmark: 8.5 %Dominican Republic: 43.1 %Algeria: 31.2 %Ecuador: 54.4 %Estonia: 12.1 %Egypt: 27.4 %Eritrea: 53.6 %Spain: 16.1 %Ethiopia: 85.9 %Finland: 13.4 %Fiji: 35.5 %France: 12.4 %Gabon: 33 %United Kingdom: 14.5 %Georgia: 49.9 %Ghana: 70.2 %Gambia: 71.7 %Guinea: 83.5 %Equatorial Guinea: 27.2 %Greece: 32 %Guatemala: 41.7 %Guinea-Bissau: 76.7 %Guyana: 35.3 %Hong Kong: 8.7 %Honduras: 45.6 %Croatia: 14.8 %Haiti: 77.3 %Hungary: 12 %Indonesia: 53.5 %Ireland: 14.5 %Israel: 11.3 %India: 77.2 %Iraq: 31.4 %Iran: 43.7 %Iceland: 15.8 %Italy: 22.6 %Jamaica: 38.7 %Jordan: 11.1 %Japan: 9.9 %Kenya: 64.4 %Kyrgyzstan: 34 %Cambodia: 56.9 %North Korea: 62.7 %South Korea: 24.4 %Kuwait: 2.7 %Kazakhstan: 26.5 %Laos: 78.6 %Lebanon: 29 %Sri Lanka: 42.5 %Liberia: 79.7 %Lesotho: 39.2 %Lithuania: 11.8 %Luxembourg: 9.5 %Latvia: 13.5 %Libya: 27.2 %Morocco: 41.4 %Moldova: 59.3 %Montenegro: 21.5 %Madagascar: 89.4 %North Macedonia: 17.6 %Mali: 85.3 %Myanmar: 65.7 %Mongolia: 45.1 %Mauritania: 58.9 %Mauritius: 19 %Malawi: 61.9 %Mexico: 30.4 %Malaysia: 26 %Mozambique: 86.2 %Namibia: 37.8 %New Caledonia: 16.9 %Niger: 91.3 %Nigeria: 87.6 %Nicaragua: 45.6 %Netherlands: 15.9 %Norway: 4.9 %Nepal: 80 %New Zealand: 19.6 %Oman: 5.1 %Panama: 41.2 %Peru: 55.9 %French Polynesia: 19 %Papua New Guinea: 79.7 %Philippines: 36.8 %Pakistan: 59.1 %Poland: 24.3 %Puerto Rico: 12.7 %Palestine: 27.7 %Portugal: 15.7 %Paraguay: 45.5 %Qatar: 0.9 %Romania: 15.5 %Serbia: 27 %Russia: 6.8 %Rwanda: 43.4 %Saudi Arabia: 5.6 %Solomon Islands: 71 %Sudan: 47.8 %Sweden: 10.7 %Singapore: 13.8 %Slovenia: 14.8 %Slovakia: 15.3 %Sierra Leone: 90.1 %Senegal: 66.5 %Somalia: 52.8 %Suriname: 23.4 %South Sudan: 84 %El Salvador: 38.8 %Syria: 43.3 %Eswatini: 33.1 %Chad: 91.8 %Togo: 80.4 %Thailand: 50.5 %Tajikistan: 32.6 %Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Turkmenistan: 33.1 %Tunisia: 25.7 %Türkiye: 30.4 %Trinidad and Tobago: 25.6 %Tanzania: 86.6 %Ukraine: 21.3 %Uganda: 80.9 %United States: 6.3 %Uruguay: 28.4 %Uzbekistan: 46.6 %Venezuela: 39.7 %Vietnam: 55.9 %Vanuatu: 61.1 %Samoa: 45.1 %Yemen: 52.9 %South Africa: 16.7 %Zambia: 75.3 %Zimbabwe: 71.4 %
  • Under 14
  • 14 to 25
  • 25 to 36
  • 36 to 52
  • 52 to 75
  • 75 and over
  • No data
%, 2020. 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, 2020

Chad: 91.8 %Chad91.8Niger: 91.3 %Niger91.3Sierra Leone: 90.1 %Sierra Leone90.1Madagascar: 89.4 %Madagascar89.4Nigeria: 87.6 %Nigeria87.6Tanzania: 86.6 %Tanzania86.6Democratic Republic of the Congo: 86.6 %Democratic Republic of the Congo86.6Central African Republic: 86.3 %Central African Republic86.3Mozambique: 86.2 %Mozambique86.2Ethiopia: 85.9 %Ethiopia85.9Burundi: 85.5 %Burundi85.5Mali: 85.3 %Mali85.3Afghanistan: 84.3 %Afghanistan84.3Burkina Faso: 84.2 %Burkina Faso84.2South Sudan: 84 %South Sudan84Guinea: 83.5 %Guinea83.5Benin: 83.1 %Benin83.1Uganda: 80.9 %Uganda80.9Togo: 80.4 %Togo80.4Nepal: 80 %Nepal80Liberia: 79.7 %Liberia79.7Papua New Guinea: 79.7 %Papua New Guinea79.7Laos: 78.6 %Laos78.6Republic of the Congo: 77.5 %Republic of the Congo77.5Haiti: 77.3 %Haiti77.3India: 77.2 %India77.2Guinea-Bissau: 76.7 %Guinea-Bissau76.7Angola: 75.4 %Angola75.4Zambia: 75.3 %Zambia75.3Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Timor-Leste75.2Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Côte d’Ivoire73.9Gambia: 71.7 %Gambia71.7Cameroon: 71.5 %Cameroon71.5Zimbabwe: 71.4 %Zimbabwe71.4Bhutan: 71.3 %Bhutan71.3Solomon Islands: 71 %Solomon Islands71Ghana: 70.2 %Ghana70.2Bolivia: 69.8 %Bolivia69.8Azerbaijan: 68.1 %Azerbaijan68.1Senegal: 66.5 %Senegal66.5Chad: 91.8 %Chad91.8Niger: 91.3 %Niger91.3Sierra Leone: 90.1 %Sierra Leone90.1Madagascar: 89.4 %Madagascar89.4Nigeria: 87.6 %Nigeria87.6Tanzania: 86.6 %Tanzania86.6Democratic Republic of the Congo: 86.6 %Democratic Republic of the Congo86.6Central African Republic: 86.3 %Central African Republic86.3Mozambique: 86.2 %Mozambique86.2Ethiopia: 85.9 %Ethiopia85.9Burundi: 85.5 %Burundi85.5Mali: 85.3 %Mali85.3Afghanistan: 84.3 %Afghanistan84.3Burkina Faso: 84.2 %Burkina Faso84.2South Sudan: 84 %South Sudan84Guinea: 83.5 %Guinea83.5Benin: 83.1 %Benin83.1Uganda: 80.9 %Uganda80.9Togo: 80.4 %Togo80.4Nepal: 80 %Nepal80Liberia: 79.7 %Liberia79.7Papua New Guinea: 79.7 %Papua New Guinea79.7Laos: 78.6 %Laos78.6Republic of the Congo: 77.5 %Republic of the Congo77.5Haiti: 77.3 %Haiti77.3India: 77.2 %India77.2Guinea-Bissau: 76.7 %Guinea-Bissau76.7Angola: 75.4 %Angola75.4Zambia: 75.3 %Zambia75.3Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Timor-Leste75.2Côte d’Ivoire: 73.9 %Côte d’Ivoire73.9Gambia: 71.7 %Gambia71.7Cameroon: 71.5 %Cameroon71.5Zimbabwe: 71.4 %Zimbabwe71.4Bhutan: 71.3 %Bhutan71.3Solomon Islands: 71 %Solomon Islands71Ghana: 70.2 %Ghana70.2Bolivia: 69.8 %Bolivia69.8Azerbaijan: 68.1 %Azerbaijan68.1Senegal: 66.5 %Senegal66.5
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Chad91.8+0.6 pts
2Niger91.3+0.2 pts
3Sierra Leone90.1+1.2 pts
4Madagascar89.4+0.7 pts
5Nigeria87.6+1 pts
6Tanzania86.6+0.5 pts
7Democratic Republic of the Congo86.6+1.3 pts
8Central African Republic86.3+0.8 pts
9Mozambique86.2+0.4 pts
10Ethiopia85.9+0.5 pts
11Burundi85.5-0.2 pts
12Mali85.3+2.6 pts
13Afghanistan84.3+0.4 pts
14Burkina Faso84.2+1.3 pts
15South Sudan84+0.4 pts
16Guinea83.5+0.9 pts
17Benin83.1+0.4 pts
18Uganda80.9+1 pts
19Togo80.4+0.4 pts
20Nepal80+0.1 pts
21Liberia79.7+1.2 pts
22Papua New Guinea79.7+0.4 pts
23Laos78.6-0.2 pts
24Republic of the Congo77.5+0.9 pts
25Haiti77.3+2.3 pts
26India77.2-0 pts
27Guinea-Bissau76.7+0.7 pts
28Angola75.4+0.6 pts
29Zambia75.3+0.9 pts
30Timor-Leste75.2+0.6 pts
31Côte d’Ivoire73.9+0.2 pts
32Gambia71.7+1 pts
33Cameroon71.5-0.3 pts
34Zimbabwe71.4+0.4 pts
35Bhutan71.3-0.3 pts
36Solomon Islands71+1 pts
37Ghana70.2-0.3 pts
38Bolivia69.8+1.7 pts
39Azerbaijan68.1-0.2 pts
40Senegal66.5+0.8 pts
41Myanmar65.7+0.2 pts
42Kenya64.4+2.3 pts
43North Korea62.7+1.1 pts
44Malawi61.9+0.1 pts
45Bangladesh61.5+0.9 pts
46Vanuatu61.10 pts
47Moldova59.3-0.2 pts
48Pakistan59.1-0.7 pts
49Mauritania58.9+0.7 pts
50Comoros58.7+0.4 pts
51Cambodia56.9+0.2 pts
52Peru55.9+0.3 pts
53Vietnam55.9+0.2 pts
54Ecuador54.4+0.2 pts
55Albania53.8-0.4 pts
56Eritrea53.6+0.7 pts
57Indonesia53.5+1.1 pts
58Yemen52.9+0.7 pts
59Somalia52.8+1.1 pts
60Djibouti52.2+0.8 pts
61Thailand50.5+0.2 pts
62Georgia49.9-0.2 pts
63Tonga48.2-1.6 pts
64Sudan47.8-0.2 pts
65Colombia47.3+1.2 pts
66Uzbekistan46.6+0.3 pts
67Nicaragua45.6+0.6 pts
68Honduras45.6+0.4 pts
69Paraguay45.5+2.6 pts
70Mongolia45.1-0.6 pts
71Samoa45.1-0.2 pts
72São Tomé and Príncipe44.9+1.5 pts
73Iran43.7-1.2 pts
74Rwanda43.4+0.5 pts
75Syria43.3+0.4 pts
76Dominican Republic43.1+0.7 pts
77Sri Lanka42.5+0.5 pts
78Guatemala41.7+5.1 pts
79Morocco41.4+0.1 pts
80Panama41.2-0.1 pts
81Cape Verde40.5+0.5 pts
82Armenia39.7+0.2 pts
83Venezuela39.7+0.4 pts
84China39.5-0 pts
85Lesotho39.2+0.1 pts
86El Salvador38.8-0.3 pts
87Jamaica38.7+1 pts
88Namibia37.8+0.3 pts
89Philippines36.8+1.3 pts
90Belize36+0.7 pts
91Fiji35.5+0.7 pts
92Guyana35.3+0.9 pts
93Kyrgyzstan34+0.9 pts
94Eswatini33.1-0.3 pts
95Turkmenistan33.1-0.5 pts
96Gabon33-0.1 pts
97Tajikistan32.6-0.1 pts
98Brazil32.5+0.3 pts
99Greece32-0 pts
100Iraq31.4+0.4 pts
101Algeria31.2-0.3 pts
102Türkiye30.4-1.4 pts
103Mexico30.4+0.1 pts
104Saint Lucia29.1-0.5 pts
105Botswana29-0.6 pts
106Lebanon29-0.4 pts
107Costa Rica28.8+0.4 pts
108Uruguay28.4+0.6 pts
109Palestine27.7-0.9 pts
110Egypt27.4-1.5 pts
111Equatorial Guinea27.2-0.6 pts
112Libya27.2-0.4 pts
113Argentina27+0.5 pts
114Serbia27-0.7 pts
115Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.7+0.5 pts
116Kazakhstan26.5-0.3 pts
117Cuba26.5-0.4 pts
118Malaysia26-0 pts
119Tunisia25.7-0.5 pts
120Trinidad and Tobago25.6+1.3 pts
121Chile25.1+0.7 pts
122South Korea24.4-0.2 pts
123Poland24.3+0.5 pts
124Bosnia and Herzegovina23.7-0.3 pts
125Suriname23.4-0.3 pts
126Italy22.6-0.2 pts
127Montenegro21.5+0.9 pts
128Maldives21.4-0.4 pts
129Ukraine21.3-0.2 pts
130Barbados20.2-0.4 pts
131New Zealand19.6+0.1 pts
132Mauritius19-0.2 pts
133French Polynesia19+0.2 pts
134North Macedonia17.6-3 pts
135New Caledonia16.9+2.7 pts
136Czechia16.9+0.1 pts
137South Africa16.7+0.4 pts
138Australia16.7-0.1 pts
139Spain16.1+0.4 pts
140Guam15.9+0.2 pts
141Netherlands15.9+1.3 pts
142Iceland15.8-0.1 pts
143Portugal15.7-0.1 pts
144Romania15.5-0.5 pts
145Belgium15.5+0.7 pts
146Slovakia15.3-0.1 pts
147Bahamas15.2+0.4 pts
148Canada15.2+0.4 pts
149Slovenia14.8-0.1 pts
150Croatia14.8-0.4 pts
151Malta14.6+0.1 pts
152Ireland14.5+0.1 pts
153United Kingdom14.5-0.5 pts
154Switzerland14.3-0 pts
155Singapore13.8+0.1 pts
156Cyprus13.8+0.1 pts
157Latvia13.5+0.5 pts
158Finland13.4+0.3 pts
159Austria12.9+0.1 pts
160Puerto Rico12.7-2.2 pts
161France12.4+0.3 pts
162Estonia12.1+0.1 pts
163Hungary12+1.2 pts
164Lithuania11.8+0.1 pts
165Israel11.3+0.1 pts
166Jordan11.1-1.3 pts
167Bulgaria10.7-0.7 pts
168Sweden10.7+0.1 pts
169Japan9.9-0.1 pts
170Brunei9.6+0.6 pts
171Luxembourg9.5-0.8 pts
172U.S. Virgin Islands9.2+0.7 pts
173Germany8.9-0.7 pts
174Hong Kong8.70 pts
175Denmark8.5+0.2 pts
176Belarus7.6-0.3 pts
177Russia6.80 pts
178Macao6.8+0.3 pts
179United States6.3-0.2 pts
180Saudi Arabia5.6+0.3 pts
181Oman5.1+0.3 pts
182Norway4.9-0.2 pts
183United Arab Emirates4.8-0.2 pts
184Bahrain2.8+0.3 pts
185Kuwait2.7+0.5 pts
186Qatar0.9+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, 2020) [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, 2020. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2020. 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, 2020. 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=2020.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2020 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2020 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2020,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2020}},
  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=2020. 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, 2020
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=2020
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2020.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank Countries by self-employed workers using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"self_employed_share","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=self_employed_share&level=country&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which country has the highest self-employed workers?

Chad, with 91.8% in 2020, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.9% in 2020.

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