Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia
Australia: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 59.58 % in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia, 2001–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Australia recorded 59.58 % for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia peaked at 74.43 % in 2002 and was at its lowest, 45.64 %, in 2014.
That places Australia 40th out of 65 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 64.55 % | — |
| 2002 | 74.43 % | +15.3% |
| 2003 | 72.59 % | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 67.07 % | -7.6% |
| 2005 | 67.28 % | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 64.83 % | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 63.26 % | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 73.22 % | +15.7% |
| 2009 | 67.96 % | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 65.95 % | -3.0% |
| 2011 | 68 % | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 69.86 % | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 70.35 % | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 45.64 % | -35.1% |
| 2015 | 68.41 % | +49.9% |
| 2016 | 67.84 % | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 60.02 % | -11.5% |
| 2018 | 59.86 % | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 62.51 % | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 60.21 % | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 61.18 % | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 58.9 % | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 59.46 % | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 59.58 % | +0.2% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 59.58 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.43 %, 1.3× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Australia's 59.58 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 74.92 %, 80% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +49.9% | 45.64 % | 68.41 % |
| 2014 | -35.1% | 70.35 % | 45.64 % |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 68.35 % | 63.26 % | 74.43 % | 9 |
| 2010s | 63.84 % | 45.64 % | 70.35 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.87 % | 58.9 % | 61.18 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 37 Japan 63.8 % compare
- 38 Sri Lanka 63.64 % compare
- 39 Honduras 60.45 % compare
- 41 Brunei Darussalam 56.67 % compare
- 42 El Salvador 56.23 % compare
- 43 Costa Rica 55.78 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Australia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.97 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0227 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,476 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5855 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1228 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia?
- Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia was 59.58 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 74.43 % in 2002.
- What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.64 % in 2014.
- How does Australia rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- Australia ranks 40th out of 65 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Agricultural employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.