Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan

Japan: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 63.8 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
63.8 %
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
37th
of 65 countries
All-time high
87.91 %
in 2000
All-time low
63.8 %
in 2023
Years of data
24
2000–2023

Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan, 2000–2023

0204060802000201120232000: 87.9 %2001: 86.4 %2002: 85.2 %2003: 84.8 %2004: 85.6 %2005: 85.3 %2006: 81.5 %2007: 80.3 %2008: 79.8 %2009: 76.6 %2010: 75.5 %2011: 75.1 %2012: 75.6 %2013: 74.2 %2014: 72.3 %2015: 72.3 %2016: 70.5 %2017: 66.9 %2018: 67 %2019: 65.6 %2020: 65.1 %2021: 66.4 %2022: 65.8 %2023: 63.8 %

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan stood at 63.8 %. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.

The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan peaked at 87.91 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 63.8 %, in 2023.

That places Japan 37th out of 65 countries with data for 2023, 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 Japan, year by year

Annual values for 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 in Japan, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 87.91 %
2001 86.44 % -1.7%
2002 85.2 % -1.4%
2003 84.75 % -0.5%
2004 85.62 % +1.0%
2005 85.31 % -0.4%
2006 81.47 % -4.5%
2007 80.29 % -1.4%
2008 79.85 % -0.5%
2009 76.61 % -4.1%
2010 75.47 % -1.5%
2011 75.12 % -0.5%
2012 75.56 % +0.6%
2013 74.21 % -1.8%
2014 72.35 % -2.5%
2015 72.32 % -0.0%
2016 70.55 % -2.4%
2017 66.86 % -5.2%
2018 67.02 % +0.2%
2019 65.64 % -2.1%
2020 65.14 % -0.8%
2021 66.37 % +1.9%
2022 65.78 % -0.9%
2023 63.8 % -3.0%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 63.8 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.43 %, 1.3× the median. (17 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 63.8 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 74.92 %, 85% of the median. (9 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 83.34 % 76.61 % 87.91 % 10
2010s 71.51 % 65.64 % 75.56 % 10
2020s 65.27 % 63.8 % 66.37 % 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 34 Brazil 68.15 % compare
  2. 35 Colombia 66.66 % compare
  3. 36 Switzerland 64.22 % compare
  4. 38 Sri Lanka 63.64 % compare
  5. 39 Honduras 60.45 % compare
  6. 40 Australia 59.58 % compare

See the full ranking of 74 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan?
Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan was 63.8 % in 2023, 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 Japan?
The highest recorded value was 87.91 % in 2000.
What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 63.8 % in 2023.
How does Japan rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
Japan ranks 37th out of 65 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Japan 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.

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Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 September 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-self-employed-people-in-industry-out-of-total-employment-in-industry-by-sex-2/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
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
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
74 places, 1,132 data points, 2000–2025
Last refreshed

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.