Self-employed — all countries

Self-employed — Papua New Guinea

Self-employed in Papua New Guinea in 2025 — 78.7%. Ranked 17 in the world out of 182. Since 1991, the indicator has fallen by 3.4 pp.

2025 78.7% −0.2 pp vs 2024
World rank 17of 182
Period maximum 82%1991
Period minimum 78.7%2025

Trend over time

1991–2025 · % of employment

Self-employed — Papua New Guinea, 1991–202578798081828319911995199920032007201120152019202320251991: 82%1992: 81.9%1993: 81.6%1994: 81.4%1995: 81.4%1996: 81.3%1997: 81.3%1998: 81.4%1999: 81.5%2000: 81.6%2001: 81.7%2002: 81.8%2003: 81.9%2004: 81.9%2005: 81.8%2006: 81.7%2007: 81.5%2008: 81.4%2009: 81.3%2010: 81%2011: 80.9%2012: 80.7%2013: 80.6%2014: 80.3%2015: 80%2016: 79.8%2017: 79.6%2018: 79.4%2019: 79.3%2020: 79.7%2021: 79.2%2022: 79.1%2023: 79%2024: 78.8%2025: 78.7%
Change over the period: −3.4 pp Annual average: -0.1 pp

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea 78.7%
World 46.4%
Melanesia computed 72.1%
Self-employed — Papua New Guinea, by year Papua New Guinea All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2025 78.7 −0.2 pp
2024 78.8 −0.1 pp
2023 79 −0.1 pp
2022 79.1 −0.2 pp
2021 79.2 −0.5 pp
2020 79.7 +0.4 pp
2019 79.3 −0.1 pp
2018 79.4 −0.1 pp
2017 79.6 −0.2 pp
2016 79.8 −0.2 pp
2015 80 −0.3 pp
2014 80.3 −0.3 pp
2013 80.6 −0.1 pp
2012 80.7 −0.1 pp
2011 80.9 −0.2 pp
2010 81 −0.3 pp
2009 81.3 −0.1 pp
2008 81.4 −0.1 pp
2007 81.5 −0.2 pp
2006 81.7 −0.1 pp
2005 81.8 −0.1 pp
2004 81.9 +0 pp
2003 81.9 +0 pp
2002 81.8 +0.1 pp
2001 81.7 +0.1 pp
2000 81.6 +0.1 pp
1999 81.5 +0.1 pp
1998 81.4 +0.1 pp
1997 81.3 +0.1 pp
1996 81.3 −0.1 pp
1995 81.4 −0.1 pp
1994 81.4 −0.2 pp
1993 81.6 −0.2 pp
1992 81.9 −0.2 pp
1991 82

Melanesia, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of total employment that is self-employed: employers, own-account workers, members of producers cooperatives and contributing family workers. High values in low-income countries reflect not developed entrepreneurship but the absence of wage jobs and informal work in agriculture and small-scale trade.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.