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 69.03 % in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
69.03 %
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
28th
of 68 countries
All-time high
85.78 %
in 2000
All-time low
69.03 %
in 2023
Years of data
24
2000–2023

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

0204060802000201120232000: 85.8 %2001: 83.9 %2002: 82.3 %2003: 82.9 %2004: 84 %2005: 83.4 %2006: 81.6 %2007: 81.1 %2008: 80.4 %2009: 79 %2010: 77.8 %2011: 76 %2012: 75.8 %2013: 75.3 %2014: 73.8 %2015: 73.7 %2016: 72.7 %2017: 73 %2018: 73.8 %2019: 72.2 %2020: 72 %2021: 71.4 %2022: 71.2 %2023: 69 %

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

Analysis

Japan recorded 69.03 % 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.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 8.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Japan peaked at 85.78 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 69.03 %, in 2023.

Japan ranks 28th of 68 countries on this measure, 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 — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Agriculture in Japan, 2000 to 2023.
Year % Change
2000 85.78 %
2001 83.89 % -2.2%
2002 82.33 % -1.9%
2003 82.91 % +0.7%
2004 84 % +1.3%
2005 83.41 % -0.7%
2006 81.58 % -2.2%
2007 81.14 % -0.5%
2008 80.42 % -0.9%
2009 79.03 % -1.7%
2010 77.75 % -1.6%
2011 76 % -2.3%
2012 75.78 % -0.3%
2013 75.34 % -0.6%
2014 73.85 % -2.0%
2015 73.72 % -0.2%
2016 72.65 % -1.5%
2017 73.04 % +0.5%
2018 73.78 % +1.0%
2019 72.25 % -2.1%
2020 71.95 % -0.4%
2021 71.43 % -0.7%
2022 71.18 % -0.3%
2023 69.03 % -3.0%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 69.03 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 47.38 %, 1.5× the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 69.03 % is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75.65 %, 91% of the median. (9 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 82.45 % 79.03 % 85.78 % 10
2010s 74.42 % 72.25 % 77.75 % 10
2020s 70.9 % 69.03 % 71.95 % 4

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 25 Peru 71.09 % compare
  2. 26 Palestine 69.72 % compare
  3. 27 Bangladesh 69.7 % compare
  4. 29 Switzerland 68.71 % compare
  5. 30 Sri Lanka 67.14 % compare
  6. 31 Panama 65.57 % compare

See the full ranking of 77 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 69.03 % 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 85.78 % 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 69.03 % in 2023.
How does Japan rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
Japan ranks 28th out of 68 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 8.4%. 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]: 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 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/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 — 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.