Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 183 countries in 2023, at 91.4%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.8%. The median was 32.5% and the figure for the World was 46.6%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.4Chad
Lowest0.8Qatar
Median32.5183 countries
World46.6History

Map of countries, 2023

United Arab Emirates: 5.2 %Afghanistan: 83.1 %Albania: 51 %Armenia: 34.8 %Angola: 75.9 %Argentina: 25.8 %Austria: 12.2 %Australia: 16.3 %Azerbaijan: 67.3 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 22.7 %Bangladesh: 61.9 %Belgium: 14.7 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 12 %Burundi: 85 %Benin: 80.5 %Brunei: 7.5 %Bolivia: 66.6 %Brazil: 31.2 %Bahamas: 17.2 %Bhutan: 70.2 %Botswana: 28.2 %Belarus: 7.1 %Belize: 35.5 %Canada: 13.2 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.6 %Central African Republic: 85.6 %Republic of the Congo: 77 %Switzerland: 16.7 %Côte d’Ivoire: 71.6 %Chile: 24.6 %Cameroon: 69.8 %China: 38.4 %Colombia: 46.6 %Costa Rica: 26.6 %Cuba: 24.9 %Cape Verde: 39.3 %Cyprus: 10.8 %Czechia: 16.2 %Germany: 8.3 %Djibouti: 51.4 %Denmark: 8.2 %Dominican Republic: 42.4 %Algeria: 30.5 %Ecuador: 50.9 %Estonia: 11.9 %Egypt: 27.3 %Eritrea: 52.8 %Spain: 14.8 %Ethiopia: 84.9 %Finland: 12.9 %Fiji: 34.7 %France: 12.9 %Gabon: 32.5 %United Kingdom: 13.4 %Georgia: 47.2 %Ghana: 68.1 %Gambia: 69.2 %Guinea: 82.5 %Equatorial Guinea: 27 %Greece: 31 %Guatemala: 39.5 %Guinea-Bissau: 75.9 %Guyana: 32.6 %Hong Kong: 8.5 %Honduras: 44.6 %Croatia: 13.6 %Haiti: 76.7 %Hungary: 12.1 %Indonesia: 54 %Ireland: 14.1 %Israel: 11.5 %India: 76.1 %Iraq: 31.6 %Iran: 43.4 %Iceland: 15.1 %Italy: 21.3 %Jamaica: 35.9 %Jordan: 11.5 %Japan: 9.5 %Kenya: 65.3 %Kyrgyzstan: 31.5 %Cambodia: 56.1 %North Korea: 62.2 %South Korea: 23.2 %Kuwait: 2.9 %Kazakhstan: 26.3 %Laos: 77.7 %Lebanon: 28.4 %Sri Lanka: 42.1 %Liberia: 78.9 %Lesotho: 38.7 %Lithuania: 11.9 %Luxembourg: 10.3 %Latvia: 13.2 %Libya: 26.5 %Morocco: 40.7 %Moldova: 58.8 %Montenegro: 18 %Madagascar: 88.7 %North Macedonia: 15.9 %Mali: 77 %Myanmar: 65.4 %Mongolia: 42 %Mauritania: 58 %Mauritius: 18.5 %Malawi: 61.4 %Mexico: 31.4 %Malaysia: 25.6 %Mozambique: 85.6 %Namibia: 37 %New Caledonia: 16.9 %Niger: 89.9 %Nigeria: 86.7 %Nicaragua: 44.7 %Netherlands: 16.8 %Norway: 4.9 %Nepal: 79.1 %New Zealand: 18.8 %Oman: 5 %Panama: 38.9 %Peru: 52.6 %French Polynesia: 18.5 %Papua New Guinea: 79 %Philippines: 36.8 %Pakistan: 57.4 %Poland: 20.5 %Puerto Rico: 12.7 %Portugal: 14.9 %Paraguay: 41.3 %Qatar: 0.8 %Romania: 14.7 %Serbia: 27.1 %Russia: 6.6 %Rwanda: 41.3 %Saudi Arabia: 5 %Solomon Islands: 70.2 %Sweden: 10.4 %Singapore: 12.2 %Slovenia: 14.3 %Slovakia: 15.2 %Sierra Leone: 89.3 %Senegal: 64.9 %Somalia: 52.3 %Suriname: 22.9 %South Sudan: 82.5 %El Salvador: 36.3 %Syria: 42.5 %Eswatini: 30.6 %Chad: 91.4 %Togo: 77.3 %Thailand: 52.1 %Tajikistan: 31.8 %Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Turkmenistan: 32.3 %Tunisia: 25.1 %Türkiye: 28.6 %Trinidad and Tobago: 25.6 %Tanzania: 85.7 %Uganda: 81 %United States: 6.1 %Uruguay: 28.2 %Uzbekistan: 45.9 %Venezuela: 40.2 %Vietnam: 54.3 %Vanuatu: 60.6 %Samoa: 44.9 %Yemen: 52.5 %South Africa: 16.3 %Zambia: 72.3 %Zimbabwe: 71 %
  • Under 13
  • 13 to 24
  • 24 to 35
  • 35 to 52
  • 52 to 74
  • 74 and over
  • No data
%, 2023. 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, 2023

Chad: 91.4 %Chad91.4Niger: 89.9 %Niger89.9Sierra Leone: 89.3 %Sierra Leone89.3Madagascar: 88.7 %Madagascar88.7Nigeria: 86.7 %Nigeria86.7Tanzania: 85.7 %Tanzania85.7Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.6 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.6Mozambique: 85.6 %Mozambique85.6Central African Republic: 85.6 %Central African Republic85.6Burundi: 85 %Burundi85Ethiopia: 84.9 %Ethiopia84.9Afghanistan: 83.1 %Afghanistan83.1Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8South Sudan: 82.5 %South Sudan82.5Guinea: 82.5 %Guinea82.5Uganda: 81 %Uganda81Benin: 80.5 %Benin80.5Nepal: 79.1 %Nepal79.1Papua New Guinea: 79 %Papua New Guinea79Liberia: 78.9 %Liberia78.9Laos: 77.7 %Laos77.7Togo: 77.3 %Togo77.3Mali: 77 %Mali77Republic of the Congo: 77 %Republic of the Congo77Haiti: 76.7 %Haiti76.7India: 76.1 %India76.1Guinea-Bissau: 75.9 %Guinea-Bissau75.9Angola: 75.9 %Angola75.9Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Timor-Leste75.2Zambia: 72.3 %Zambia72.3Côte d’Ivoire: 71.6 %Côte d’Ivoire71.6Zimbabwe: 71 %Zimbabwe71Solomon Islands: 70.2 %Solomon Islands70.2Bhutan: 70.2 %Bhutan70.2Cameroon: 69.8 %Cameroon69.8Gambia: 69.2 %Gambia69.2Ghana: 68.1 %Ghana68.1Azerbaijan: 67.3 %Azerbaijan67.3Bolivia: 66.6 %Bolivia66.6Myanmar: 65.4 %Myanmar65.4Chad: 91.4 %Chad91.4Niger: 89.9 %Niger89.9Sierra Leone: 89.3 %Sierra Leone89.3Madagascar: 88.7 %Madagascar88.7Nigeria: 86.7 %Nigeria86.7Tanzania: 85.7 %Tanzania85.7Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.6 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.6Mozambique: 85.6 %Mozambique85.6Central African Republic: 85.6 %Central African Republic85.6Burundi: 85 %Burundi85Ethiopia: 84.9 %Ethiopia84.9Afghanistan: 83.1 %Afghanistan83.1Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8South Sudan: 82.5 %South Sudan82.5Guinea: 82.5 %Guinea82.5Uganda: 81 %Uganda81Benin: 80.5 %Benin80.5Nepal: 79.1 %Nepal79.1Papua New Guinea: 79 %Papua New Guinea79Liberia: 78.9 %Liberia78.9Laos: 77.7 %Laos77.7Togo: 77.3 %Togo77.3Mali: 77 %Mali77Republic of the Congo: 77 %Republic of the Congo77Haiti: 76.7 %Haiti76.7India: 76.1 %India76.1Guinea-Bissau: 75.9 %Guinea-Bissau75.9Angola: 75.9 %Angola75.9Timor-Leste: 75.2 %Timor-Leste75.2Zambia: 72.3 %Zambia72.3Côte d’Ivoire: 71.6 %Côte d’Ivoire71.6Zimbabwe: 71 %Zimbabwe71Solomon Islands: 70.2 %Solomon Islands70.2Bhutan: 70.2 %Bhutan70.2Cameroon: 69.8 %Cameroon69.8Gambia: 69.2 %Gambia69.2Ghana: 68.1 %Ghana68.1Azerbaijan: 67.3 %Azerbaijan67.3Bolivia: 66.6 %Bolivia66.6Myanmar: 65.4 %Myanmar65.4
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Chad91.4+0.1 pts
2Niger89.9-0.2 pts
3Sierra Leone89.3-0.3 pts
4Madagascar88.7-0.1 pts
5Nigeria86.7-0.3 pts
6Tanzania85.7-0.2 pts
7Democratic Republic of the Congo85.6-0.3 pts
8Mozambique85.6-0.1 pts
9Central African Republic85.6-0.1 pts
10Burundi85-0 pts
11Ethiopia84.9-0.3 pts
12Afghanistan83.1+0.4 pts
13Burkina Faso82.80 pts
14South Sudan82.5-0.4 pts
15Guinea82.5-0.3 pts
16Uganda81-0.2 pts
17Benin80.5-0.3 pts
18Nepal79.1-0.2 pts
19Papua New Guinea79-0.1 pts
20Liberia78.9-0.2 pts
21Laos77.7-0.3 pts
22Togo77.3-0.3 pts
23Mali77-0.1 pts
24Republic of the Congo770 pts
25Haiti76.70 pts
26India76.1-0.7 pts
27Guinea-Bissau75.9-0.2 pts
28Angola75.90 pts
29Timor-Leste75.2+0.5 pts
30Zambia72.3-1.6 pts
31Côte d’Ivoire71.6-0.3 pts
32Zimbabwe71-0.8 pts
33Solomon Islands70.2-0.1 pts
34Bhutan70.2-0.3 pts
35Cameroon69.8-0.2 pts
36Gambia69.2-0.7 pts
37Ghana68.1-0.3 pts
38Azerbaijan67.3-0.2 pts
39Bolivia66.6-1.1 pts
40Myanmar65.4+0.1 pts
41Kenya65.3-0.3 pts
42Senegal64.9-0.2 pts
43North Korea62.2-0.1 pts
44Bangladesh61.9+0.2 pts
45Malawi61.4-0.1 pts
46Vanuatu60.60 pts
47Moldova58.8-0.1 pts
48Comoros58.1-0.1 pts
49Mauritania58-0.3 pts
50Pakistan57.4-0.2 pts
51Cambodia56.1-0.2 pts
52Vietnam54.3-0.4 pts
53Indonesia54+0.6 pts
54Eritrea52.8-0.2 pts
55Peru52.6-0.3 pts
56Yemen52.5+0.1 pts
57Somalia52.3-0 pts
58Thailand52.1+0.1 pts
59Djibouti51.4-0.2 pts
60Albania51-2 pts
61Ecuador50.9-2.5 pts
62Georgia47.2-1.6 pts
63Colombia46.6-0.5 pts
64Uzbekistan45.9-0.2 pts
65Samoa44.9-0 pts
66Nicaragua44.7-0.3 pts
67Honduras44.6-0.3 pts
68São Tomé and Príncipe44.2-0.1 pts
69Iran43.4+0.6 pts
70Syria42.5-0.2 pts
71Dominican Republic42.4-0.7 pts
72Tonga42.2-1.9 pts
73Sri Lanka42.1+0.1 pts
74Mongolia42-1.4 pts
75Paraguay41.3-0.9 pts
76Rwanda41.3+2.3 pts
77Morocco40.7-0.2 pts
78Venezuela40.2+0.5 pts
79Guatemala39.5-4.4 pts
80Cape Verde39.3-0.4 pts
81Panama38.9-5.4 pts
82Lesotho38.7+0.1 pts
83China38.4-0.4 pts
84Namibia37-0.1 pts
85Philippines36.8-0.3 pts
86El Salvador36.3-0.2 pts
87Jamaica35.9-1.4 pts
88Belize35.5+0.1 pts
89Armenia34.8-1.5 pts
90Fiji34.7-0.3 pts
91Guyana32.6-1.5 pts
92Gabon32.5-0 pts
93Turkmenistan32.3-0.2 pts
94Tajikistan31.8-0.3 pts
95Iraq31.60 pts
96Kyrgyzstan31.5-0.6 pts
97Mexico31.4-0.5 pts
98Brazil31.2-0.9 pts
99Greece31+0.6 pts
100Eswatini30.6-0.7 pts
101Algeria30.5-0.2 pts
102Saint Lucia30.1+0.2 pts
103Türkiye28.6-0.7 pts
104Lebanon28.40 pts
105Botswana28.2-0.2 pts
106Uruguay28.2-0.1 pts
107Egypt27.3+1.2 pts
108Serbia27.1-0 pts
109Equatorial Guinea27+0.3 pts
110Costa Rica26.6-1 pts
111Libya26.5-0.2 pts
112Kazakhstan26.3-0 pts
113Saint Vincent and the Grenadines26-0.2 pts
114Argentina25.8-1 pts
115Trinidad and Tobago25.6-0.2 pts
116Malaysia25.6-0.1 pts
117Tunisia25.1+0.1 pts
118Cuba24.9-0.9 pts
119Chile24.60 pts
120South Korea23.2-0.3 pts
121Suriname22.9-0 pts
122Bosnia and Herzegovina22.7-0.3 pts
123Italy21.3-0.1 pts
124Maldives20.6-0.2 pts
125Poland20.5-1.2 pts
126Barbados20+0.2 pts
127New Zealand18.8-0.2 pts
128French Polynesia18.5-0.1 pts
129Mauritius18.5-0.3 pts
130Montenegro18-0.9 pts
131Bahamas17.2+0.7 pts
132New Caledonia16.90 pts
133Netherlands16.8+0.1 pts
134Switzerland16.7+0.4 pts
135Australia16.3-0.2 pts
136South Africa16.3-0.6 pts
137Czechia16.2-0.3 pts
138North Macedonia15.9-0.3 pts
139Guam15.8-0.1 pts
140Slovakia15.2+0.2 pts
141Iceland15.1-1.7 pts
142Portugal14.9-0.3 pts
143Spain14.8-0.5 pts
144Belgium14.7-0.5 pts
145Romania14.7-0.1 pts
146Slovenia14.3-0.2 pts
147Ireland14.1+0.1 pts
148Malta14.1-0.1 pts
149Croatia13.6-0.6 pts
150United Kingdom13.4+0.1 pts
151Latvia13.2+0.2 pts
152Canada13.2-0.3 pts
153France12.9-0.2 pts
154Finland12.9-0.6 pts
155Puerto Rico12.70 pts
156Austria12.2-0.3 pts
157Singapore12.2-1 pts
158Hungary12.1-0.3 pts
159Bulgaria12+0.4 pts
160Estonia11.9+0.2 pts
161Lithuania11.9-0 pts
162Israel11.5-0.1 pts
163Jordan11.5-0.2 pts
164Cyprus10.8-0.1 pts
165Sweden10.4-0 pts
166Luxembourg10.3-0.5 pts
167Japan9.5-0 pts
168U.S. Virgin Islands9.1-0.1 pts
169Hong Kong8.50 pts
170Germany8.3-0.2 pts
171Denmark8.2-0.1 pts
172Brunei7.5-0 pts
173Macao7.3-0 pts
174Belarus7.1-0.2 pts
175Russia6.60 pts
176United States6.1-0.2 pts
177United Arab Emirates5.2+0.3 pts
178Saudi Arabia5-1.4 pts
179Oman50 pts
180Norway4.9-0.1 pts
181Kuwait2.9+0.2 pts
182Bahrain2.60 pts
183Qatar0.8-0 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. 3 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2023 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, 2023) [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, 2023. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2023 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2023 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2023,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2023.
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 91.4% in 2023, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.8% in 2023.

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. 3 countries have no value for 2023 and are not ranked.

Self-employed workers: other rankings

Countries: more rankings