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 15.66 % 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
In 2024, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia stood at 15.66 %.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 44.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Australia peaked at 42.81 % in 2002 and was at its lowest, 14.96 %, in 2022.
Australia ranks 58th of 67 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
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 | 40.76 % | — |
| 2002 | 42.81 % | +5.0% |
| 2003 | 41.24 % | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 42.55 % | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 39.49 % | -7.2% |
| 2006 | 33.12 % | -16.1% |
| 2007 | 29.63 % | -10.5% |
| 2008 | 29.48 % | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 32.91 % | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 32.83 % | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 31.99 % | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 35.65 % | +11.4% |
| 2013 | 29.66 % | -16.8% |
| 2014 | 28.16 % | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 34.53 % | +22.6% |
| 2016 | 37.02 % | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 31.5 % | -14.9% |
| 2018 | 17.2 % | -45.4% |
| 2019 | 18.62 % | +8.3% |
| 2020 | 19.71 % | +5.9% |
| 2021 | 18.42 % | -6.5% |
| 2022 | 14.96 % | -18.8% |
| 2023 | 16.06 % | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 15.66 % | -2.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 15.66 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.2 %, 82% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Australia's 15.66 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.97 %, 22% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.89 % | 29.48 % | 42.81 % | 9 |
| 2010s | 29.72 % | 17.2 % | 37.02 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.96 % | 14.96 % | 19.71 % | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 15.66 % 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 42.81 % 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 14.96 % in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- Australia ranks 58th out of 67 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 down 44.4%. 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]: Total AFS employment — Value — Female — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agrifood systems. 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.