Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal
Portugal: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 26.04 % in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal, 2000–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal is 26.04 %, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 45.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal peaked at 62.48 % in 2003 and was at its lowest, 25.78 %, in 2023.
Portugal ranks 54th of 68 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 60.38 % | — |
| 2001 | 61.91 % | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 61.89 % | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 62.48 % | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 62.18 % | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 61.38 % | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 60.72 % | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 61.96 % | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 54.36 % | -12.3% |
| 2009 | 55.67 % | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 54.89 % | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 54.11 % | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 55.28 % | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 53.99 % | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 51.13 % | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 47.5 % | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 45.49 % | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 43.75 % | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 40.95 % | -6.4% |
| 2019 | 39.86 % | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 40.38 % | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 27.25 % | -32.5% |
| 2022 | 27.14 % | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 25.78 % | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 26.26 % | +1.9% |
| 2025 | 26.04 % | -0.8% |
Portugal compared with similar countries
- Portugal's 26.04 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.05 %, 93% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Portugal's 26.04 % is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 34.92 %, 75% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -32.5% | 40.38 % | 27.25 % |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 60.29 % | 54.36 % | 62.48 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.7 % | 39.86 % | 55.28 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.81 % | 25.78 % | 40.38 % | 6 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
More agriculture & rural data for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0196 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 628.85 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.5936 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.385 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.0% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal?
- Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Portugal was 26.04 % in 2025, 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 62.48 % in 2003.
- What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.78 % in 2023.
- How does Portugal rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- Portugal ranks 54th out of 68 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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]: Total AFS employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 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.