ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of in Portugal

Portugal: ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of was 16.9 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
16.9 %
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
50th
of 72 countries
All-time high
46.4 %
in 1997
All-time low
16.9 %
in 2024
Years of data
33
1992–2024

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of in Portugal, 1992–2024

010203040501992200820241992: 43 %1993: 41.2 %1994: 42.9 %1995: 42.6 %1996: 45.2 %1997: 46.4 %1998: 40 %1999: 39.5 %2000: 39.8 %2001: 41.8 %2002: 39.3 %2003: 40.6 %2004: 39.9 %2005: 38.7 %2006: 36.4 %2007: 36.5 %2008: 36.1 %2009: 36.1 %2010: 34.5 %2011: 32.4 %2012: 33.6 %2013: 33.3 %2014: 28.8 %2015: 27.1 %2016: 26.8 %2017: 26.3 %2018: 24.7 %2019: 24.5 %2020: 23.6 %2021: 18.7 %2022: 19.4 %2023: 17.6 %2024: 16.9 %

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of in Portugal is 16.9 %, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 41.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of in Portugal peaked at 46.4 % in 1997 and was at its lowest, 16.9 %, in 2024.

Portugal ranks 50th of 72 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of in Portugal, year by year

Annual values for ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of employment, self-employed, rural areas — Value in Portugal, 1992 to 2024.
Year % Change
1992 43 %
1993 41.2 % -4.2%
1994 42.9 % +4.1%
1995 42.6 % -0.7%
1996 45.2 % +6.1%
1997 46.4 % +2.7%
1998 40 % -13.8%
1999 39.5 % -1.2%
2000 39.8 % +0.8%
2001 41.8 % +5.0%
2002 39.3 % -6.0%
2003 40.6 % +3.3%
2004 39.9 % -1.7%
2005 38.7 % -3.0%
2006 36.4 % -5.9%
2007 36.5 % +0.3%
2008 36.1 % -1.1%
2009 36.1 % +0.0%
2010 34.5 % -4.4%
2011 32.4 % -6.1%
2012 33.6 % +3.7%
2013 33.3 % -0.9%
2014 28.8 % -13.5%
2015 27.1 % -5.9%
2016 26.8 % -1.1%
2017 26.3 % -1.9%
2018 24.7 % -6.1%
2019 24.5 % -0.8%
2020 23.6 % -3.7%
2021 18.7 % -20.8%
2022 19.4 % +3.7%
2023 17.6 % -9.3%
2024 16.9 % -4.0%

Portugal compared with similar countries

  • Portugal's 16.9 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 16 %, 1.1× the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Portugal's 16.9 % is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 15.9 %, 1.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 42.6 % 39.5 % 46.4 % 8
2000s 38.52 % 36.1 % 41.8 % 10
2010s 29.2 % 24.5 % 34.5 % 10
2020s 19.24 % 16.9 % 23.6 % 5

Countries ranked near Portugal

  1. 47 Australia 18 % compare
  2. 48 South Africa 17.9 % compare
  3. 49 Belgium 17.1 % compare
  4. 51 France 16.1 % compare
  5. 52 Slovakia 15.9 % compare
  6. 53 Austria 15.8 % compare
  7. 53 Malta 15.8 % compare

See the full ranking of 78 places →

More economy & growth data for Portugal

All data for Portugal →

Frequently asked questions

What is ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of in Portugal?
Ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of in Portugal was 16.9 % in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of recorded in Portugal?
The highest recorded value was 46.4 % in 1997.
What is the lowest ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of recorded in Portugal?
The lowest recorded value was 16.9 % in 2024.
How does Portugal rank for ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of?
Portugal ranks 50th out of 72 countries with data for 2024.
Is ilostat - labour force survey — share of employment by status of rising or falling in Portugal?
Over the last ten years it is down 41.3%. 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 ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of employment, self-employed, rural areas — Value. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of in Portugal. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/ilostat-labour-force-survey-share-of-employment-by-status-of-employment-self-employed/portugal/

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About this data

Indicator
ILOSTAT - Labour force survey — Share of employment by status of employment, self-employed, rural areas — Value
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
78 places, 1,460 data points, 1987–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Employment indicators domain focuses on indicators related to employment in agrifood systems and rural areas. The update is performed yearly, using data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) database that contains a rich set of indicators from a wide range of topics related to labour statistics. The indicators published in FAOSTAT are derived from the labour force statistics (LFS) and rural and urban labour markets (RURURB) databases of the ILOSTAT database.