What does self-employment look like around the world? In some countries, more than nine out of ten workers earn a living outside regular wage or salaried jobs. In others, fewer than one in ten do.
According to International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates published by the World Bank, Chad has the highest reported self-employment share at 91.56%, followed by Niger (89.48%) and Sierra Leone (88.81%).
But a high self-employment rate doesn't necessarily mean a country has more successful entrepreneurs. The figures also include small farmers, independent traders and people working in family businesses, often in economies where salaried jobs are less common.
This analysis examines the latest available estimates across 179 countries, primarily using 2025 data.
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), via World Bank. Latest available estimates, primarily 2025.
Global Self-Employment Rankings: Which Countries Lead?
Africa occupies every position in the top ten of the compiled ranking.
Chad leads at 91.56%, while Niger, Sierra Leone and Madagascar also exceed 88%. Nigeria completes the top five with an estimated rate of 86.15%.
The gap between Chad and tenth-ranked Burundi (84.85%) is just 6.71 percentage points.
Across the dataset, 16 countries have estimated self-employment rates above 80%, while 61 exceed 50%.
The searchable table below covers all 179 countries, showing their latest available self-employment estimates and reporting years.
Note: Figures are ILO modelled estimates, not necessarily direct survey observations. The ordering is a descriptive comparison of published estimates, not an official ILO ranking of country performance. Model-imputed values can carry substantial uncertainty.
Key Findings From the Global Self-Employment Data
1. All 10 Leading Countries Are in Africa
The highest estimated self-employment shares are concentrated in African economies.
Alongside Chad, Niger, Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Nigeria, the top ten include:
- Central African Republic: 85.40%
- Tanzania: 85.34%
- Mozambique: 85.31%
- DR Congo: 85.08%
- Burundi: 84.85%
These figures reflect labour markets where independent work, small-scale farming and family-based economic activities account for a large share of employment.
However, high self-employment does not automatically indicate greater economic opportunity. It may also reflect limited access to stable salaried jobs.
2. India Ranks 28th With a 74.90% Self-Employment Rate
India's estimated self-employment rate stands at 74.90% in 2025, placing it 28th among the 179 countries in this dataset.
Other South Asian countries also record relatively high shares:
- 🇳🇵 Nepal: 78.58%
- 🇮🇳 India: 74.90%
- 🇧🇩 Bangladesh: 61.04%
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan: 57.00%
India's estimated rate is 37.23 percentage points higher than China's 37.67%.
The difference illustrates how employment structures vary across economies. Agriculture, household enterprises and the availability of wage-based jobs can all influence the share of workers classified as self-employed.
3. Some Major Economies Have Self-Employment Rates Below 15%
The contrast becomes clearer when looking at economies where salaried employment accounts for a much larger share of the workforce.
- 🇺🇸 United States: 6.07%
- 🇩🇪 Germany: 8.15%
- 🇯🇵 Japan: 9.05%
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 13.15%
At the bottom of the compiled ranking, Qatar records an estimated self-employment rate of just 0.83%, followed by Bahrain (2.44%) and Kuwait (3.16%).
The difference between Chad and Qatar is 90.73 percentage points.
Worth noting: A higher self-employment rate doesn't necessarily mean more successful businesses. The measure includes workers in subsistence agriculture and family enterprises, not just entrepreneurs and freelancers.
What Does the Self-Employment Rate Actually Measure?
The self-employment rate measures the share of employed people classified as self-employed rather than wage or salaried employees.
Under the ILO's employment-status classification used for this indicator, self-employed workers include:
- Employers who run businesses and hire workers
- Own-account workers who work independently
- Contributing family workers and members of producers' cooperatives
This distinction matters because self-employment measures the structure of work, not necessarily earnings, job security or business success.
Methodology & Data Source
This analysis uses the World Bank's Self-employed, total (% of total employment) indicator (SL.EMP.SELF.ZS), sourced from the International Labour Organization's ILO Modelled Estimates (ILOEST).
- Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), via World Bank World Development Indicators.
- Coverage: 179 countries in the compiled dataset.
- Reporting years: 174 countries use 2025 estimates; the remaining five use their latest available observations from 2021–2023.
- Ranking method: Countries ordered by their latest available estimated self-employment share, displayed to two decimal places.
- Measurement: Self-employed workers as a percentage of total employment.
Data limitation: ILO modelled estimates combine nationally reported data with statistical imputations and projections. The World Bank cautions that imputed observations can carry substantial uncertainty and should not be used for definitive country comparisons or rankings. The published ordering should therefore be treated as an illustrative comparison of estimates, not a precise measure of country performance.
The year 2026 refers to this article's publication edition. The figures are primarily estimates for 2025, not employment measurements from 2026.
Official Source: World Bank — Self-Employment Rate (ILO Estimates)
Data License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0)
Data compiled, analyzed and visualized by The Data Visual.
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