Definition: According to the ILO definition self-employment jobs are those where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits (or potential for profits) derived from the goods and services produced. Own consumption is considered to be part of profits. The incumbents make the operational decisions affecting the enterprise, or delegate such decisions while retaining responsibility for the welfare of the enterprise. In this context the term enterprise includes one-person operations.
The self-employment rate represents the proportion of persons in employment that are working a self-employment job as defined above. This includes employers, own account workers, members of producer cooperatives and contributing family workers provided they hold a self-employment job. The basis for the classification of employment status is the International Classification by Status in Employment (ICSE-93).
Unit: % of persons in employment
Data source: ILOSTAT
Link to the key table: Self-employment rate (international comparison)