Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 185 countries in 2022, at 91.3%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.9%. The median was 32.5% and the figure for the World was 46.7%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.3Chad
Lowest0.9Qatar
Median32.5185 countries
World46.7History

Map of countries, 2022

United Arab Emirates: 4.9 %Afghanistan: 82.8 %Albania: 53 %Armenia: 36.3 %Angola: 75.8 %Argentina: 26.7 %Austria: 12.5 %Australia: 16.5 %Azerbaijan: 67.5 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 23.1 %Bangladesh: 61.6 %Belgium: 15.3 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 11.6 %Burundi: 85 %Benin: 80.8 %Brunei: 7.5 %Bolivia: 67.8 %Brazil: 32.1 %Bahamas: 16.5 %Bhutan: 70.6 %Botswana: 28.4 %Belarus: 7.3 %Belize: 35.4 %Canada: 13.5 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.9 %Central African Republic: 85.7 %Republic of the Congo: 77 %Switzerland: 16.4 %Côte d’Ivoire: 72 %Chile: 24.6 %Cameroon: 69.9 %China: 38.9 %Colombia: 47.1 %Costa Rica: 27.6 %Cuba: 25.8 %Cape Verde: 39.7 %Cyprus: 10.9 %Czechia: 16.5 %Germany: 8.5 %Djibouti: 51.7 %Denmark: 8.3 %Dominican Republic: 43.1 %Algeria: 30.7 %Ecuador: 53.5 %Estonia: 11.7 %Egypt: 26.2 %Eritrea: 53 %Spain: 15.4 %Ethiopia: 85.2 %Finland: 13.5 %Fiji: 34.9 %France: 13.1 %Gabon: 32.5 %United Kingdom: 13.3 %Georgia: 48.8 %Ghana: 68.4 %Gambia: 70 %Guinea: 82.8 %Equatorial Guinea: 26.8 %Greece: 30.3 %Guatemala: 43.9 %Guinea-Bissau: 76.1 %Guyana: 34.1 %Hong Kong: 8.5 %Honduras: 44.9 %Croatia: 14.2 %Haiti: 76.7 %Hungary: 12.4 %Indonesia: 53.4 %Ireland: 14 %Israel: 11.6 %India: 76.9 %Iraq: 31.5 %Iran: 42.8 %Iceland: 16.7 %Italy: 21.4 %Jamaica: 37.3 %Jordan: 11.7 %Japan: 9.5 %Kenya: 65.6 %Kyrgyzstan: 32.1 %Cambodia: 56.3 %North Korea: 62.3 %South Korea: 23.5 %Kuwait: 2.7 %Kazakhstan: 26.3 %Laos: 77.9 %Lebanon: 28.4 %Sri Lanka: 42 %Liberia: 79.1 %Lesotho: 38.7 %Lithuania: 11.9 %Luxembourg: 10.8 %Latvia: 13 %Libya: 26.7 %Morocco: 40.9 %Moldova: 58.9 %Montenegro: 18.9 %Madagascar: 88.8 %North Macedonia: 16.2 %Mali: 77.2 %Myanmar: 65.3 %Mongolia: 43.5 %Mauritania: 58.2 %Mauritius: 18.7 %Malawi: 61.4 %Mexico: 31.8 %Malaysia: 25.7 %Mozambique: 85.7 %Namibia: 37.2 %New Caledonia: 16.9 %Niger: 90.1 %Nigeria: 86.9 %Nicaragua: 45 %Netherlands: 16.7 %Norway: 5 %Nepal: 79.3 %New Zealand: 19.1 %Oman: 4.9 %Panama: 44.3 %Peru: 52.9 %French Polynesia: 18.7 %Papua New Guinea: 79.1 %Philippines: 37.1 %Pakistan: 57.5 %Poland: 21.6 %Puerto Rico: 12.7 %Palestine: 23.8 %Portugal: 15.2 %Paraguay: 42.2 %Qatar: 0.9 %Romania: 14.8 %Serbia: 27.1 %Russia: 6.5 %Rwanda: 39 %Saudi Arabia: 6.4 %Solomon Islands: 70.3 %Sudan: 46.5 %Sweden: 10.5 %Singapore: 13.3 %Slovenia: 14.5 %Slovakia: 15 %Sierra Leone: 89.5 %Senegal: 65.1 %Somalia: 52.3 %Suriname: 23 %South Sudan: 83 %El Salvador: 36.5 %Syria: 42.8 %Eswatini: 31.3 %Chad: 91.3 %Togo: 77.5 %Thailand: 52 %Tajikistan: 32.1 %Timor-Leste: 74.7 %Turkmenistan: 32.5 %Tunisia: 25.1 %Türkiye: 29.3 %Trinidad and Tobago: 25.8 %Tanzania: 85.9 %Uganda: 81.2 %United States: 6.3 %Uruguay: 28.3 %Uzbekistan: 46.1 %Venezuela: 39.7 %Vietnam: 54.7 %Vanuatu: 60.6 %Samoa: 44.9 %Yemen: 52.4 %South Africa: 16.9 %Zambia: 73.9 %Zimbabwe: 71.8 %
  • Under 13
  • 13 to 24
  • 24 to 35
  • 35 to 52
  • 52 to 74
  • 74 and over
  • No data
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Chad: 91.3 %Chad91.3Niger: 90.1 %Niger90.1Sierra Leone: 89.5 %Sierra Leone89.5Madagascar: 88.8 %Madagascar88.8Nigeria: 86.9 %Nigeria86.9Tanzania: 85.9 %Tanzania85.9Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.9Central African Republic: 85.7 %Central African Republic85.7Mozambique: 85.7 %Mozambique85.7Ethiopia: 85.2 %Ethiopia85.2Burundi: 85 %Burundi85South Sudan: 83 %South Sudan83Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Guinea: 82.8 %Guinea82.8Afghanistan: 82.8 %Afghanistan82.8Uganda: 81.2 %Uganda81.2Benin: 80.8 %Benin80.8Nepal: 79.3 %Nepal79.3Liberia: 79.1 %Liberia79.1Papua New Guinea: 79.1 %Papua New Guinea79.1Laos: 77.9 %Laos77.9Togo: 77.5 %Togo77.5Mali: 77.2 %Mali77.2Republic of the Congo: 77 %Republic of the Congo77India: 76.9 %India76.9Haiti: 76.7 %Haiti76.7Guinea-Bissau: 76.1 %Guinea-Bissau76.1Angola: 75.8 %Angola75.8Timor-Leste: 74.7 %Timor-Leste74.7Zambia: 73.9 %Zambia73.9Côte d’Ivoire: 72 %Côte d’Ivoire72Zimbabwe: 71.8 %Zimbabwe71.8Bhutan: 70.6 %Bhutan70.6Solomon Islands: 70.3 %Solomon Islands70.3Gambia: 70 %Gambia70Cameroon: 69.9 %Cameroon69.9Ghana: 68.4 %Ghana68.4Bolivia: 67.8 %Bolivia67.8Azerbaijan: 67.5 %Azerbaijan67.5Kenya: 65.6 %Kenya65.6Chad: 91.3 %Chad91.3Niger: 90.1 %Niger90.1Sierra Leone: 89.5 %Sierra Leone89.5Madagascar: 88.8 %Madagascar88.8Nigeria: 86.9 %Nigeria86.9Tanzania: 85.9 %Tanzania85.9Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.9 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.9Central African Republic: 85.7 %Central African Republic85.7Mozambique: 85.7 %Mozambique85.7Ethiopia: 85.2 %Ethiopia85.2Burundi: 85 %Burundi85South Sudan: 83 %South Sudan83Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Guinea: 82.8 %Guinea82.8Afghanistan: 82.8 %Afghanistan82.8Uganda: 81.2 %Uganda81.2Benin: 80.8 %Benin80.8Nepal: 79.3 %Nepal79.3Liberia: 79.1 %Liberia79.1Papua New Guinea: 79.1 %Papua New Guinea79.1Laos: 77.9 %Laos77.9Togo: 77.5 %Togo77.5Mali: 77.2 %Mali77.2Republic of the Congo: 77 %Republic of the Congo77India: 76.9 %India76.9Haiti: 76.7 %Haiti76.7Guinea-Bissau: 76.1 %Guinea-Bissau76.1Angola: 75.8 %Angola75.8Timor-Leste: 74.7 %Timor-Leste74.7Zambia: 73.9 %Zambia73.9Côte d’Ivoire: 72 %Côte d’Ivoire72Zimbabwe: 71.8 %Zimbabwe71.8Bhutan: 70.6 %Bhutan70.6Solomon Islands: 70.3 %Solomon Islands70.3Gambia: 70 %Gambia70Cameroon: 69.9 %Cameroon69.9Ghana: 68.4 %Ghana68.4Bolivia: 67.8 %Bolivia67.8Azerbaijan: 67.5 %Azerbaijan67.5Kenya: 65.6 %Kenya65.6
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Chad91.30 pts
2Niger90.1-0.5 pts
3Sierra Leone89.5-0.2 pts
4Madagascar88.8-0.1 pts
5Nigeria86.9-0.2 pts
6Tanzania85.9-0.2 pts
7Democratic Republic of the Congo85.9-0.3 pts
8Central African Republic85.7-0.1 pts
9Mozambique85.7-0 pts
10Ethiopia85.2-0.3 pts
11Burundi85-0 pts
12South Sudan83-0.5 pts
13Burkina Faso82.8-0.5 pts
14Guinea82.8-0.2 pts
15Afghanistan82.8+0.5 pts
16Uganda81.2-0.2 pts
17Benin80.8-1.1 pts
18Nepal79.3-0.3 pts
19Liberia79.1-0.1 pts
20Papua New Guinea79.1-0.2 pts
21Laos77.9-0.3 pts
22Togo77.5-1.3 pts
23Mali77.2-3.9 pts
24Republic of the Congo77-0 pts
25India76.9+0.2 pts
26Haiti76.7-0.1 pts
27Guinea-Bissau76.1-0.2 pts
28Angola75.8+0.5 pts
29Timor-Leste74.7-0.1 pts
30Zambia73.9+0.5 pts
31Côte d’Ivoire72-0.9 pts
32Zimbabwe71.8+0.4 pts
33Bhutan70.6-0.2 pts
34Solomon Islands70.3-0.1 pts
35Gambia70-0.8 pts
36Cameroon69.9-0.2 pts
37Ghana68.4-0.3 pts
38Bolivia67.8-1.6 pts
39Azerbaijan67.5-0.1 pts
40Kenya65.6-0.3 pts
41Myanmar65.3+0.1 pts
42Senegal65.1-0.6 pts
43North Korea62.30 pts
44Bangladesh61.6-0 pts
45Malawi61.4-0 pts
46Vanuatu60.60 pts
47Moldova58.9-0.2 pts
48Mauritania58.2-0.2 pts
49Comoros58.2-0.1 pts
50Pakistan57.5-0.2 pts
51Cambodia56.3-0.3 pts
52Vietnam54.7-0.6 pts
53Ecuador53.5-1.1 pts
54Indonesia53.4+0.3 pts
55Albania53+0.8 pts
56Eritrea53-0.2 pts
57Peru52.9-0.1 pts
58Yemen52.4+0.1 pts
59Somalia52.3-0 pts
60Thailand52-0.7 pts
61Djibouti51.7-0.2 pts
62Georgia48.8-0.4 pts
63Colombia47.1-0.3 pts
64Sudan46.5-0.5 pts
65Uzbekistan46.1-0.2 pts
66Nicaragua45-0.2 pts
67Samoa44.9+0.3 pts
68Honduras44.9-0.3 pts
69Panama44.3+3.5 pts
70São Tomé and Príncipe44.3-0.2 pts
71Tonga44-1.9 pts
72Guatemala43.9-2.3 pts
73Mongolia43.5-0.8 pts
74Dominican Republic43.1-0.8 pts
75Iran42.80 pts
76Syria42.8+0.1 pts
77Paraguay42.2-2 pts
78Sri Lanka42-0.8 pts
79Morocco40.9-0.1 pts
80Venezuela39.7+1 pts
81Cape Verde39.7-0.5 pts
82Rwanda39+1.1 pts
83China38.9-0.4 pts
84Lesotho38.70 pts
85Jamaica37.3-1.1 pts
86Namibia37.2-0.1 pts
87Philippines37.1+0.7 pts
88El Salvador36.5-0.3 pts
89Armenia36.3-0.5 pts
90Belize35.4-0.2 pts
91Fiji34.9-0.1 pts
92Guyana34.1-1.7 pts
93Gabon32.50 pts
94Turkmenistan32.5-0.2 pts
95Kyrgyzstan32.1-0.2 pts
96Brazil32.1-1.4 pts
97Tajikistan32.1-0.3 pts
98Mexico31.8-0.1 pts
99Iraq31.5+0.1 pts
100Eswatini31.3-0.7 pts
101Algeria30.7-0.1 pts
102Greece30.3-1.5 pts
103Saint Lucia29.8-0.3 pts
104Türkiye29.3-0.8 pts
105Botswana28.4-0.2 pts
106Lebanon28.4+0.1 pts
107Uruguay28.3-0.1 pts
108Costa Rica27.6-0.6 pts
109Serbia27.1-0.3 pts
110Equatorial Guinea26.8+0.3 pts
111Argentina26.7-0.9 pts
112Libya26.7-0 pts
113Kazakhstan26.3-0 pts
114Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26.2-0.3 pts
115Egypt26.2-1.3 pts
116Trinidad and Tobago25.8+1.2 pts
117Cuba25.8-0.3 pts
118Malaysia25.7-0.1 pts
119Tunisia25.1-0.2 pts
120Chile24.6-0.3 pts
121Palestine23.8-4 pts
122South Korea23.5-0.5 pts
123Bosnia and Herzegovina23.1-0.4 pts
124Suriname23+0.2 pts
125Poland21.6-1.2 pts
126Italy21.4-0.4 pts
127Maldives20.8-0.2 pts
128Barbados19.7+0.2 pts
129New Zealand19.1-0.3 pts
130Montenegro18.9-0.3 pts
131Mauritius18.7-0.3 pts
132French Polynesia18.7-0.1 pts
133South Africa16.9-0 pts
134New Caledonia16.90 pts
135Iceland16.7-0.3 pts
136Netherlands16.7+0.8 pts
137Australia16.5-0.3 pts
138Czechia16.5+0.5 pts
139Bahamas16.5+0.7 pts
140Switzerland16.4+0.7 pts
141North Macedonia16.2-0.6 pts
142Guam15.8-0 pts
143Spain15.4-0.8 pts
144Belgium15.3+0.8 pts
145Portugal15.2-0.4 pts
146Slovakia15+0.1 pts
147Romania14.8-0.3 pts
148Slovenia14.5-0 pts
149Malta14.20 pts
150Croatia14.2-0.7 pts
151Ireland14-0.1 pts
152Canada13.5-0.5 pts
153Finland13.5-0.5 pts
154United Kingdom13.3-0.3 pts
155Singapore13.3-0.4 pts
156France13.1+0.5 pts
157Latvia13-0.1 pts
158Puerto Rico12.70 pts
159Austria12.5-0.2 pts
160Hungary12.4-0.2 pts
161Lithuania11.9+0.3 pts
162Estonia11.7-0.3 pts
163Jordan11.7+0.1 pts
164Israel11.6+0.4 pts
165Bulgaria11.6+0.4 pts
166Cyprus10.9-0.9 pts
167Luxembourg10.8-1.1 pts
168Sweden10.5-0.2 pts
169Japan9.5-0.8 pts
170U.S. Virgin Islands9.2-0.1 pts
171Germany8.5-0.5 pts
172Hong Kong8.5+0.1 pts
173Denmark8.3-0.6 pts
174Brunei7.5-0.4 pts
175Macao7.3+0.7 pts
176Belarus7.3-0.3 pts
177Russia6.5-0.2 pts
178Saudi Arabia6.4-0.1 pts
179United States6.3-0.3 pts
180Norway5+0.2 pts
181Oman4.9-0.2 pts
182United Arab Emirates4.9+0.5 pts
183Kuwait2.7-0.1 pts
184Bahrain2.6-0.1 pts
185Qatar0.9+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. 1 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2022 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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, 2022) [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, 2022. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2022 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2022 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2022,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2022.
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 91.3% in 2022, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.9% in 2022.

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. 1 countries have no value for 2022 and are not ranked.

Self-employed workers: other rankings

Countries: more rankings