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 18.91 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Japan recorded 18.91 % for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 8.1% on the previous year and down 24.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan peaked at 40.49 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 18.91 %, in 2023.
Japan ranks 54th 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 40.49 % | — |
| 2001 | 39.09 % | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 37.32 % | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 36.72 % | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 36.79 % | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 35.92 % | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 33.81 % | -5.9% |
| 2007 | 32.37 % | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 31.95 % | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 28.82 % | -9.8% |
| 2010 | 27.36 % | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 26.02 % | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 26.37 % | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 25 % | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 24.88 % | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 24.26 % | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 22.66 % | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 21.43 % | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 21.44 % | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20.53 % | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 20.53 % | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 20.91 % | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 20.58 % | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 18.91 % | -8.1% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 18.91 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.2 %, 99% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Japan's 18.91 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 71.97 %, 26% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.33 % | 28.82 % | 40.49 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.99 % | 20.53 % | 27.36 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.23 % | 18.91 % | 20.91 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More agriculture & rural data for Japan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 10.95 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0096 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 323.87 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.89 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.0% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.6% (2025)
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 18.91 % 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 40.49 % 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 18.91 % in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
- Japan ranks 54th out of 67 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 24.4%. 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]: 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.