Kenya: Self-employment

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Kenya

Self-employment, percent of total employment

 Latest value 65.25
 Year 2023
 Measure percent
 Data availability 1991 - 2023
 Average 65.48
 Min - Max 62.01 - 66.86
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2023 is 65.25 percent, a decline from 65.56 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 40.05 percent, based on data from 177 countries. Historically, the average for Kenya from 1991 to 2023 is 65.48 percent. The minimum value, 62.01 percent, was reached in 2019 while the maximum of 66.86 percent was recorded in 1998. See the global rankings or world map for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
Select indicator
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
Kenya - Self-employment - Recent values chart

Historical series
Kenya - Self-employment - historical chart - 1991-2023




Definition: Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include four sub-categories of employers, own-account workers, members of producers' cooperatives, and contributing family workers.

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 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Labor force 23.78 2024 million people
 Unemployment rate 5.45 2025 percent
 Female unemployment 6.74 2025 percent
 Male unemployment 4.28 2025 percent
 Youth unemployment 11.93 2024 percent
 Labor force participation 67.39 2025 percent
 Labor force: percent female 47.39 2025 percent
 Female labor force participation 62.16 2024 percent
 Male labor force participation 71.39 2024 percent
 Self-employment 65.25 2023 percent
 Employment 18.44 Q4/2022 million employed people
 Unemployment rate 4.90 Q4/2022 percent
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