Data / Rankings / Self-employed workers / Countries

Countries by self-employed workers

Chad had the highest self-employed workers of 181 countries in 2024, at 91.5%. Qatar had the lowest, at 0.8%. The median was 32.1% and the figure for the World was 46.5%. Source: the World Bank.

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Highest91.5Chad
Lowest0.8Qatar
Median32.1181 countries
World46.5History

Map of countries, 2024

United Arab Emirates: 5.1 %Afghanistan: 83.4 %Albania: 50.6 %Armenia: 34.3 %Angola: 75.9 %Argentina: 25.7 %Austria: 12.2 %Australia: 16.2 %Azerbaijan: 67.2 %Bosnia and Herzegovina: 22.4 %Bangladesh: 61.4 %Belgium: 14.7 %Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Bulgaria: 11.9 %Burundi: 84.9 %Benin: 80.2 %Brunei: 7.4 %Bolivia: 66.5 %Brazil: 30.5 %Bahamas: 17.1 %Bhutan: 69.9 %Botswana: 28.2 %Belarus: 7 %Belize: 35.3 %Canada: 13 %Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Central African Republic: 85.5 %Republic of the Congo: 76.9 %Switzerland: 16.8 %Côte d’Ivoire: 71.3 %Chile: 24 %Cameroon: 69.6 %China: 38.1 %Colombia: 45.7 %Costa Rica: 26.8 %Cuba: 24.9 %Cape Verde: 38.9 %Cyprus: 9.9 %Czechia: 15.9 %Germany: 8.2 %Djibouti: 51.3 %Denmark: 8 %Dominican Republic: 42.2 %Algeria: 30.4 %Ecuador: 52.4 %Estonia: 12.1 %Egypt: 27.1 %Eritrea: 52.6 %Spain: 14.7 %Ethiopia: 84.6 %Finland: 12.5 %Fiji: 34.4 %France: 13.3 %Gabon: 32.4 %United Kingdom: 13.2 %Georgia: 46.6 %Ghana: 67.9 %Gambia: 69 %Guinea: 82.2 %Equatorial Guinea: 27.3 %Greece: 30.7 %Guatemala: 39.3 %Guinea-Bissau: 75.7 %Guyana: 31.6 %Hong Kong: 7.8 %Honduras: 44.4 %Croatia: 13.1 %Haiti: 76.8 %Hungary: 11.8 %Indonesia: 53.7 %Ireland: 13.4 %Israel: 11.4 %India: 75.4 %Iraq: 31.6 %Iran: 43.2 %Iceland: 13.3 %Italy: 21.2 %Jamaica: 35.8 %Jordan: 11.3 %Japan: 9.2 %Kenya: 64.9 %Kyrgyzstan: 31 %Cambodia: 55.8 %North Korea: 62.1 %South Korea: 22.9 %Kuwait: 3.1 %Kazakhstan: 26.2 %Laos: 77.4 %Sri Lanka: 42.2 %Liberia: 78.6 %Lesotho: 38.6 %Lithuania: 11.7 %Luxembourg: 10.3 %Latvia: 13.7 %Libya: 26.3 %Morocco: 40.4 %Moldova: 58.7 %Montenegro: 17.8 %Madagascar: 88.5 %North Macedonia: 16.8 %Mali: 76.9 %Myanmar: 65.5 %Mongolia: 41.6 %Mauritania: 57.7 %Mauritius: 18.2 %Malawi: 61.3 %Mexico: 30.8 %Malaysia: 25.5 %Mozambique: 85.5 %Namibia: 36.8 %New Caledonia: 17 %Niger: 89.7 %Nigeria: 86.4 %Nicaragua: 44.5 %Netherlands: 16.8 %Norway: 4.9 %Nepal: 78.8 %New Zealand: 18.6 %Oman: 5 %Panama: 40.6 %Peru: 51.7 %French Polynesia: 18.4 %Papua New Guinea: 78.8 %Philippines: 36.5 %Pakistan: 57.2 %Poland: 19 %Puerto Rico: 12.6 %Portugal: 14.5 %Paraguay: 41.6 %Qatar: 0.8 %Romania: 14.7 %Serbia: 27.2 %Russia: 6.4 %Rwanda: 40.9 %Saudi Arabia: 5.6 %Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Sweden: 10.3 %Singapore: 12.8 %Slovenia: 14.1 %Slovakia: 14.9 %Sierra Leone: 89 %Senegal: 64.7 %Somalia: 52.3 %Suriname: 22.8 %El Salvador: 36 %Syria: 42.5 %Eswatini: 30.4 %Chad: 91.5 %Togo: 77 %Thailand: 50.8 %Tajikistan: 31.5 %Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Turkmenistan: 32.1 %Tunisia: 25 %Türkiye: 28.8 %Trinidad and Tobago: 25.7 %Tanzania: 85.5 %Uganda: 80.7 %United States: 6.2 %Uruguay: 28.1 %Uzbekistan: 45.7 %Venezuela: 40.3 %Vietnam: 53.8 %Vanuatu: 60.6 %Samoa: 44.7 %Yemen: 52.6 %South Africa: 17.3 %Zambia: 72.1 %Zimbabwe: 70.9 %
  • Under 13
  • 13 to 23
  • 23 to 34
  • 34 to 51
  • 51 to 72
  • 72 and over
  • No data
%, 2024. 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, 2024

Chad: 91.5 %Chad91.5Niger: 89.7 %Niger89.7Sierra Leone: 89 %Sierra Leone89Madagascar: 88.5 %Madagascar88.5Nigeria: 86.4 %Nigeria86.4Tanzania: 85.5 %Tanzania85.5Central African Republic: 85.5 %Central African Republic85.5Mozambique: 85.5 %Mozambique85.5Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3Burundi: 84.9 %Burundi84.9Ethiopia: 84.6 %Ethiopia84.6Afghanistan: 83.4 %Afghanistan83.4Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Guinea: 82.2 %Guinea82.2Uganda: 80.7 %Uganda80.7Benin: 80.2 %Benin80.2Papua New Guinea: 78.8 %Papua New Guinea78.8Nepal: 78.8 %Nepal78.8Liberia: 78.6 %Liberia78.6Laos: 77.4 %Laos77.4Togo: 77 %Togo77Republic of the Congo: 76.9 %Republic of the Congo76.9Mali: 76.9 %Mali76.9Haiti: 76.8 %Haiti76.8Angola: 75.9 %Angola75.9Guinea-Bissau: 75.7 %Guinea-Bissau75.7India: 75.4 %India75.4Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Timor-Leste75.1Zambia: 72.1 %Zambia72.1Côte d’Ivoire: 71.3 %Côte d’Ivoire71.3Zimbabwe: 70.9 %Zimbabwe70.9Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Solomon Islands70.1Bhutan: 69.9 %Bhutan69.9Cameroon: 69.6 %Cameroon69.6Gambia: 69 %Gambia69Ghana: 67.9 %Ghana67.9Azerbaijan: 67.2 %Azerbaijan67.2Bolivia: 66.5 %Bolivia66.5Myanmar: 65.5 %Myanmar65.5Kenya: 64.9 %Kenya64.9Chad: 91.5 %Chad91.5Niger: 89.7 %Niger89.7Sierra Leone: 89 %Sierra Leone89Madagascar: 88.5 %Madagascar88.5Nigeria: 86.4 %Nigeria86.4Tanzania: 85.5 %Tanzania85.5Central African Republic: 85.5 %Central African Republic85.5Mozambique: 85.5 %Mozambique85.5Democratic Republic of the Congo: 85.3 %Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3Burundi: 84.9 %Burundi84.9Ethiopia: 84.6 %Ethiopia84.6Afghanistan: 83.4 %Afghanistan83.4Burkina Faso: 82.8 %Burkina Faso82.8Guinea: 82.2 %Guinea82.2Uganda: 80.7 %Uganda80.7Benin: 80.2 %Benin80.2Papua New Guinea: 78.8 %Papua New Guinea78.8Nepal: 78.8 %Nepal78.8Liberia: 78.6 %Liberia78.6Laos: 77.4 %Laos77.4Togo: 77 %Togo77Republic of the Congo: 76.9 %Republic of the Congo76.9Mali: 76.9 %Mali76.9Haiti: 76.8 %Haiti76.8Angola: 75.9 %Angola75.9Guinea-Bissau: 75.7 %Guinea-Bissau75.7India: 75.4 %India75.4Timor-Leste: 75.1 %Timor-Leste75.1Zambia: 72.1 %Zambia72.1Côte d’Ivoire: 71.3 %Côte d’Ivoire71.3Zimbabwe: 70.9 %Zimbabwe70.9Solomon Islands: 70.1 %Solomon Islands70.1Bhutan: 69.9 %Bhutan69.9Cameroon: 69.6 %Cameroon69.6Gambia: 69 %Gambia69Ghana: 67.9 %Ghana67.9Azerbaijan: 67.2 %Azerbaijan67.2Bolivia: 66.5 %Bolivia66.5Myanmar: 65.5 %Myanmar65.5Kenya: 64.9 %Kenya64.9
%. Source: World Bank (modelled estimate), Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankCountries2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Chad91.5+0.1 pts
2Niger89.7-0.2 pts
3Sierra Leone89-0.2 pts
4Madagascar88.5-0.2 pts
5Nigeria86.4-0.3 pts
6Tanzania85.5-0.2 pts
7Central African Republic85.5-0.1 pts
8Mozambique85.5-0.1 pts
9Democratic Republic of the Congo85.3-0.3 pts
10Burundi84.9-0.1 pts
11Ethiopia84.6-0.3 pts
12Afghanistan83.4+0.2 pts
13Burkina Faso82.8-0 pts
14Guinea82.2-0.3 pts
15Uganda80.7-0.2 pts
16Benin80.2-0.3 pts
17Papua New Guinea78.8-0.1 pts
18Nepal78.8-0.2 pts
19Liberia78.6-0.3 pts
20Laos77.4-0.3 pts
21Togo77-0.2 pts
22Republic of the Congo76.9-0.1 pts
23Mali76.9-0.2 pts
24Haiti76.8+0.1 pts
25Angola75.9-0 pts
26Guinea-Bissau75.7-0.2 pts
27India75.4-0.7 pts
28Timor-Leste75.1-0.1 pts
29Zambia72.1-0.2 pts
30Côte d’Ivoire71.3-0.3 pts
31Zimbabwe70.9-0.1 pts
32Solomon Islands70.1-0.1 pts
33Bhutan69.9-0.3 pts
34Cameroon69.6-0.2 pts
35Gambia69-0.3 pts
36Ghana67.9-0.3 pts
37Azerbaijan67.2-0.2 pts
38Bolivia66.5-0.1 pts
39Myanmar65.5+0.1 pts
40Kenya64.9-0.3 pts
41Senegal64.7-0.2 pts
42North Korea62.1-0.1 pts
43Bangladesh61.4-0.4 pts
44Malawi61.3-0 pts
45Vanuatu60.60 pts
46Moldova58.7-0 pts
47Comoros58-0.1 pts
48Mauritania57.7-0.3 pts
49Pakistan57.2-0.2 pts
50Cambodia55.8-0.3 pts
51Vietnam53.8-0.5 pts
52Indonesia53.7-0.4 pts
53Yemen52.6+0.1 pts
54Eritrea52.6-0.2 pts
55Ecuador52.4+1.4 pts
56Somalia52.3-0.1 pts
57Peru51.7-0.9 pts
58Djibouti51.3-0.1 pts
59Thailand50.8-1.3 pts
60Albania50.6-0.4 pts
61Georgia46.6-0.6 pts
62Colombia45.7-0.8 pts
63Uzbekistan45.7-0.2 pts
64Samoa44.7-0.1 pts
65Nicaragua44.5-0.2 pts
66Honduras44.4-0.3 pts
67São Tomé and Príncipe44.1-0.1 pts
68Iran43.2-0.2 pts
69Syria42.5-0.1 pts
70Dominican Republic42.2-0.1 pts
71Sri Lanka42.2+0.1 pts
72Tonga42.1-0.1 pts
73Paraguay41.6+0.3 pts
74Mongolia41.6-0.5 pts
75Rwanda40.9-0.3 pts
76Panama40.6+1.7 pts
77Morocco40.4-0.3 pts
78Venezuela40.3+0.1 pts
79Guatemala39.3-0.3 pts
80Cape Verde38.9-0.4 pts
81Lesotho38.6-0.1 pts
82China38.1-0.4 pts
83Namibia36.8-0.2 pts
84Philippines36.5-0.3 pts
85El Salvador36-0.3 pts
86Jamaica35.8-0.1 pts
87Belize35.3-0.2 pts
88Fiji34.4-0.3 pts
89Armenia34.3-0.5 pts
90Gabon32.4-0 pts
91Turkmenistan32.1-0.1 pts
92Guyana31.6-0.9 pts
93Iraq31.60 pts
94Tajikistan31.5-0.3 pts
95Kyrgyzstan31-0.5 pts
96Mexico30.8-0.5 pts
97Greece30.7-0.3 pts
98Brazil30.5-0.7 pts
99Eswatini30.4-0.2 pts
100Algeria30.4-0.2 pts
101Türkiye28.8+0.2 pts
102Botswana28.2-0.1 pts
103Uruguay28.1-0.1 pts
104Equatorial Guinea27.3+0.2 pts
105Serbia27.2+0.1 pts
106Egypt27.1-0.2 pts
107Saint Lucia26.9-3.2 pts
108Costa Rica26.8+0.2 pts
109Libya26.3-0.2 pts
110Kazakhstan26.2-0.1 pts
111Saint Vincent and the Grenadines25.9-0.1 pts
112Argentina25.7-0 pts
113Trinidad and Tobago25.7+0.1 pts
114Malaysia25.5-0.1 pts
115Tunisia25-0.1 pts
116Cuba24.90 pts
117Chile24-0.6 pts
118South Korea22.9-0.3 pts
119Suriname22.8-0.2 pts
120Bosnia and Herzegovina22.4-0.3 pts
121Italy21.2-0 pts
122Maldives20.3-0.3 pts
123Barbados19.8-0.2 pts
124Poland19-1.5 pts
125New Zealand18.6-0.2 pts
126French Polynesia18.4-0.2 pts
127Mauritius18.2-0.3 pts
128Montenegro17.8-0.2 pts
129South Africa17.3+1 pts
130Bahamas17.1-0.1 pts
131New Caledonia17+0.1 pts
132Switzerland16.8+0.1 pts
133Netherlands16.80 pts
134North Macedonia16.8+0.9 pts
135Australia16.2-0.1 pts
136Czechia15.9-0.4 pts
137Guam15.7-0.1 pts
138Slovakia14.9-0.2 pts
139Spain14.7-0.1 pts
140Belgium14.7-0.1 pts
141Romania14.7-0.1 pts
142Portugal14.5-0.4 pts
143Slovenia14.1-0.2 pts
144Malta14.1-0 pts
145Latvia13.7+0.6 pts
146Ireland13.4-0.6 pts
147Iceland13.3-1.7 pts
148France13.3+0.4 pts
149United Kingdom13.2-0.2 pts
150Croatia13.1-0.5 pts
151Canada13-0.2 pts
152Singapore12.8+0.6 pts
153Puerto Rico12.6-0 pts
154Finland12.5-0.3 pts
155Austria12.2-0 pts
156Estonia12.1+0.1 pts
157Bulgaria11.9-0.1 pts
158Hungary11.8-0.3 pts
159Lithuania11.7-0.2 pts
160Israel11.4-0.1 pts
161Jordan11.3-0.2 pts
162Luxembourg10.30 pts
163Sweden10.3-0.1 pts
164Cyprus9.9-0.8 pts
165Japan9.2-0.3 pts
166U.S. Virgin Islands9.1-0 pts
167Germany8.2-0.1 pts
168Denmark8-0.1 pts
169Hong Kong7.8-0.7 pts
170Brunei7.4-0.1 pts
171Macao7.1-0.2 pts
172Belarus7-0.1 pts
173Russia6.4-0.2 pts
174United States6.2+0.1 pts
175Saudi Arabia5.6+0.6 pts
176United Arab Emirates5.1-0 pts
177Oman5-0 pts
178Norway4.9-0 pts
179Kuwait3.1+0.2 pts
180Bahrain2.5-0.1 pts
181Qatar0.80 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. 5 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2024 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, 2024) [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, 2024. World Bank, 8 Oct. 2026, https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

Harvard

World Bank (2026) Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), Countries by self-employed workers, 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.EMP.SELF.ZS, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2024 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{world_countries_by_self_employed_2024,
  author = {{World Bank}},
  title = {{Self-employed, total (\% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS): Countries by self-employed workers, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/self-employed-share/countries?period=2024.
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 91.5% in 2024, according to the World Bank.

Which country has the lowest self-employed workers?

Qatar, with 0.8% in 2024.

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. 5 countries have no value for 2024 and are not ranked.

Self-employed workers: other rankings

Countries: more rankings