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

Italy: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 45.64 % in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
45.64 %
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
52nd
of 68 countries
All-time high
54 %
in 2011
All-time low
44.48 %
in 2018
Years of data
13
2008–2020

Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy, 2008–2020

02040602008201420202008: 53.2 %2009: 53.2 %2010: 53.3 %2011: 54 %2012: 52 %2013: 51.7 %2014: 51.4 %2015: 49.1 %2016: 49.5 %2017: 47.7 %2018: 44.5 %2019: 47.4 %2020: 45.6 %

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

Analysis

Italy recorded 45.64 % for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.8% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy peaked at 54 % in 2011 and was at its lowest, 44.48 %, in 2018.

Italy ranks 52nd of 68 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Agricultural employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture in Italy, 2008 to 2020.
Year % Change
2008 53.19 %
2009 53.2 % +0.0%
2010 53.34 % +0.3%
2011 54 % +1.2%
2012 51.99 % -3.7%
2013 51.67 % -0.6%
2014 51.39 % -0.5%
2015 49.07 % -4.5%
2016 49.52 % +0.9%
2017 47.72 % -3.6%
2018 44.48 % -6.8%
2019 47.44 % +6.7%
2020 45.64 % -3.8%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 45.64 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 47.38 %, 96% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 45.64 % is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 59.87 %, 76% of the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 53.2 % 53.19 % 53.2 % 2
2010s 50.06 % 44.48 % 54 % 10
2020s 45.64 % 45.64 % 45.64 % 1

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 49 Barbados 47.71 % compare
  2. 50 Cyprus 47.38 % compare
  3. 51 Egypt 46.58 % compare
  4. 53 Portugal 44.61 % compare
  5. 54 Costa Rica 41.04 % compare
  6. 55 Guatemala 39.65 % compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy?
Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy was 45.64 % in 2020, 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 Italy?
The highest recorded value was 54 % in 2011.
What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 44.48 % in 2018.
How does Italy rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
Italy ranks 52nd out of 68 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Italy 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 — Male — 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 Italy. 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/italy/

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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 — Male — 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
77 places, 1,153 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.