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

Switzerland: Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment was 18.47 % in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
18.47 %
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
57th
of 68 countries
All-time high
20.21 %
in 2000
All-time low
16.07 %
in 2019
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland, 2000–2024

051015202000201220242000: 20.2 %2001: 19.4 %2002: 19.2 %2003: 19.8 %2004: 18.8 %2005: 18.2 %2006: 17.9 %2007: 18 %2008: 18.1 %2009: 17.2 %2010: 17.9 %2011: 17.6 %2012: 17.4 %2013: 17.4 %2014: 17.3 %2015: 16.6 %2016: 16.9 %2017: 16.8 %2018: 16.6 %2019: 16.1 %2020: 16.1 %2021: 17.6 %2022: 18.4 %2023: 18.9 %2024: 18.5 %

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

Analysis

In 2024, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland stood at 18.47 %.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and up 7.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland peaked at 20.21 % in 2000 and was at its lowest, 16.07 %, in 2019.

Switzerland ranks 57th of 68 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Share of Self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland, 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 Switzerland, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 20.21 %
2001 19.4 % -4.0%
2002 19.18 % -1.1%
2003 19.81 % +3.3%
2004 18.77 % -5.2%
2005 18.18 % -3.1%
2006 17.93 % -1.4%
2007 17.98 % +0.3%
2008 18.13 % +0.8%
2009 17.22 % -5.0%
2010 17.93 % +4.1%
2011 17.58 % -2.0%
2012 17.35 % -1.3%
2013 17.39 % +0.2%
2014 17.26 % -0.7%
2015 16.6 % -3.8%
2016 16.87 % +1.6%
2017 16.84 % -0.2%
2018 16.57 % -1.6%
2019 16.07 % -3.0%
2020 16.14 % +0.4%
2021 17.64 % +9.3%
2022 18.4 % +4.3%
2023 18.86 % +2.5%
2024 18.47 % -2.1%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 18.47 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 19.1 %, 97% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 18.47 % is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 21.13 %, 87% of the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 18.68 % 17.22 % 20.21 % 10
2010s 17.05 % 16.07 % 17.93 % 10
2020s 17.9 % 16.14 % 18.86 % 5

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 54 Bosnia and Herzegovina 19.17 % compare
  2. 55 Australia 19.1 % compare
  3. 56 Czechia 18.89 % compare
  4. 58 Portugal 17.91 % compare
  5. 59 Austria 17.11 % compare
  6. 60 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 16.29 % compare

See the full ranking of 77 places →

More economy & growth data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland?
Share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment in Switzerland was 18.47 % in 2024, 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 Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 20.21 % in 2000.
What is the lowest share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 16.07 % in 2019.
How does Switzerland rank for share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment?
Switzerland ranks 57th out of 68 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of self-employed people in [industry] out of total employment rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Switzerland 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 Switzerland. 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/switzerland/

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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.