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 26.54 % in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
26.54 %
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
46th
of 68 countries
All-time high
29.23 %
in 2010
All-time low
26.54 %
in 2020
Years of data
13
2008–2020

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

01020302008201420202008: 28.8 %2009: 28.8 %2010: 29.2 %2011: 28.9 %2012: 28.7 %2013: 28.8 %2014: 28.6 %2015: 28.3 %2016: 27.9 %2017: 27.5 %2018: 27.1 %2019: 26.8 %2020: 26.5 %

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

Analysis

In 2020, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy stood at 26.54 %. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Italy peaked at 29.23 % in 2010 and was at its lowest, 26.54 %, in 2020.

Italy ranks 46th of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

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]: Total employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National in Italy, 2008 to 2020.
Year % Change
2008 28.82 %
2009 28.83 % +0.0%
2010 29.23 % +1.4%
2011 28.9 % -1.1%
2012 28.71 % -0.7%
2013 28.84 % +0.5%
2014 28.61 % -0.8%
2015 28.3 % -1.1%
2016 27.92 % -1.3%
2017 27.54 % -1.4%
2018 27.14 % -1.5%
2019 26.84 % -1.1%
2020 26.54 % -1.1%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 26.54 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 19.1 %, 1.4× the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 26.54 % is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.13 %, 1.3× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 28.82 % 28.82 % 28.83 % 2
2010s 28.2 % 26.84 % 29.23 % 10
2020s 26.54 % 26.54 % 26.54 % 1

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 43 Argentina 28.48 % compare
  2. 44 Honduras 28.03 % compare
  3. 45 Rwanda 27.45 %
  4. 47 Egypt 26.05 % compare
  5. 48 Mauritius 25.79 % compare
  6. 49 Barbados 25.41 % compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More economy & growth 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 26.54 % 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 29.23 % in 2010.
What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 26.54 % in 2020.
How does Italy rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
Italy ranks 46th 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 9.2%. 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]: Total employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. 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://economy.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-self-employed-people-in-industry-out-of-total-employment-in-industry-by-sex-5/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in [industry] by [sex]: Total employment — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National
Unit
%
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
77 places, 1,154 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.