Average age of self-employed or unpaid workers, aged 15-64, total by country

Countries reporting

105

Highest

49.25

South Korea

Lowest

32.34

Niger

Median

41.51

Years covered

1970–2021

Data points

1,570

What the numbers show

Average age of self-employed or unpaid workers, aged 15-64, total is currently reported for 105 countries. The highest value is 49.25 in South Korea; the lowest is 32.34 in Niger.

The median across all reporting countries is 41.51, and the mean is 41.38.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 2.

Over the past decade 88 countries rose and 17 fell. The largest increase was in Djibouti (up 24.8%), and the largest decrease in Niger (down 5.4%).

Average age of self-employed or unpaid workers, aged 15-64, total: full country ranking

#	Country	Latest	Year	10-year change	Trend
1	South Korea	49.25	2017	up 4.9%	rising
1	Djibouti	41.03	2017	up 24.8%	rising
2	Denmark	48.74	2016	up 6.3%	flat
3	Bosnia and Herzegovina	48.48	2019	up 13.0%	rising
4	Hungary	47.57	2016	up 12.9%	rising
5	Ireland	47.38	2016	up 2.6%	rising
6	Serbia	47.16	2018	up 4.3%	rising
7	Finland	47.05	2016	down 0.0%	rising
8	Norway	46.74	2016	up 3.0%	flat
9	Iceland	46.73	2015	up 1.3%	flat
10	Sweden	46.72	2016	up 1.9%	flat
11	Lithuania	46.61	2016	up 8.3%	rising
12	Greece	46.28	2016	up 5.4%	rising
13	Netherlands	46.13	2016	up 3.9%	rising
14	Austria	46.05	2016	up 5.3%	rising
15	Sri Lanka	46.01	2019	up 6.7%	rising
16	Georgia	45.97	2020	up 4.7%	rising
17	Germany	45.54	2011	up 1.9%	flat
18	Armenia	45.53	2020	up 7.8%	rising
19	Portugal	45.45	2016	down 2.5%	rising
20	Latvia	45.41	2016	up 2.2%	rising
21	Luxembourg	45.38	2016	up 5.0%	rising
22	Spain	45.26	2016	up 2.3%	rising
23	France	45.23	2016	up 2.1%	flat
24	United States	45.04	2018	down 1.4%	rising
25	Malta	45.01	2016	up 4.2%	flat
26	Croatia	44.96	2016	down 1.0%	flat
27	Italy	44.9	2016	up 5.8%	rising
28	Thailand	44.82	2021	up 8.2%	rising
29	Estonia	44.77	2016	down 1.5%	rising
30	Australia	44.56	2015	up 1.9%	flat
31	North Macedonia	44.49	2020	up 10.2%	rising
32	Chile	44.46	2017	up 3.2%	rising
33	Belgium	44.36	2016	up 3.0%	rising
34	Bulgaria	44.34	2016	up 1.8%	rising
35	United Kingdom	44.27	2016	down 2.3%	rising
36	Puerto Rico	44.26	2005	up 13.9%	flat
37	Czechia	44.21	2016	up 5.1%	rising
38	Slovenia	44.14	2016	up 0.2%	flat
39	Costa Rica	44	2021	up 4.0%	rising
40	Mauritius	43.62	2017	up 6.6%	rising
41	Poland	43.37	2019	down 0.5%	flat
42	Tunisia	43.02	2015	up 10.1%	rising
43	Cyprus	43.01	2016	down 4.3%	flat
44	Montenegro	42.71	2010	up 15.2%	rising
45	Slovakia	42.64	2016	up 4.0%	rising
46	Moldova	42.55	2021	down 1.8%	rising
47	Uruguay	42.21	2021	down 1.1%	flat
48	Turkey	42.19	2019	up 11.6%	rising
49	Ukraine	42.17	2014	up 8.3%	flat
50	Mexico	41.79	2020	up 5.4%	rising
51	Indonesia	41.62	2019	up 8.4%	rising
52	Mongolia	41.51	2021	up 12.6%	rising
53	Romania	41.51	2018	up 4.8%	rising
54	Argentina	41.38	2021	down 2.9%	rising
55	Kazakhstan	41.21	2018	up 7.4%	rising
56	South Africa	41.18	2020	up 4.0%	rising
57	Philippines	41.1	2019	up 6.3%	rising
58	Belarus	41.05	2010	up 15.4%	rising
59	Jamaica	40.38	2002	up 4.2%	flat
60	El Salvador	40.35	2019	up 6.7%	rising
61	Brazil	40.32	2021	down 1.4%	rising
62	Panama	40.28	2021	up 0.4%	rising
63	Peru	40.2	2021	up 5.0%	rising
64	Trinidad and Tobago	40.12	2011	up 4.6%	flat
65	India	39.98	2019	up 6.7%	rising
66	Paraguay	39.76	2021	up 0.6%	rising
67	Albania	39.75	2019	up 1.6%	rising
68	Ecuador	39.73	2021	down 4.1%	rising
69	Kyrgyzstan	39.66	2020	up 7.8%	rising
70	Colombia	39.59	2021	up 1.9%	rising
71	Kenya	39.58	2019	up 10.3%	rising
72	Jordan	39.56	2016	up 2.8%	rising
73	Bolivia	39.38	2021	up 4.1%	rising
74	Dominican Republic	39.12	2013	up 2.9%	flat
75	Morocco	39.03	2013	up 9.0%	rising
76	Senegal	38.82	2018	up 16.0%	rising
77	Venezuela	38.67	2006	up 3.3%	flat
78	Bangladesh	38.51	2016	up 6.3%	rising
79	Namibia	38.04	2015	up 18.0%	rising
80	Nigeria	37.98	2012	down 2.3%	flat
81	Belize	37.86	1999	up 3.0%	flat
82	Honduras	37.42	2019	up 2.8%	rising
83	Gambia	37.33	2020	up 9.2%	flat
84	Palestine	37.08	2017	up 1.2%	rising
85	Guatemala	37.05	2019	up 2.4%	rising
86	Cambodia	36.76	2012	up 7.7%	rising
87	Egypt	36.72	2019	up 7.5%	rising
88	Laos	36.61	2018	up 6.8%	rising
89	Nicaragua	36.55	2014	up 3.0%	rising
90	Ghana	36.35	2016	up 1.3%	rising
91	Russia	36.09	2016	down 4.0%	flat
92	Togo	36.01	2018	up 8.0%	rising
93	Zambia	35.82	2015	up 6.3%	rising
94	Rwanda	35.64	2021	up 1.3%	rising
95	Nepal	35.28	2014	up 10.5%	rising
96	Pakistan	35.19	2020	up 2.0%	flat
97	Tanzania	34.7	2020	up 1.2%	flat
98	Mozambique	34.16	2014	up 1.0%	flat
99	Madagascar	33.98	2012	up 1.9%	flat
100	Guinea	33.92	2018	down 1.2%	rising
101	Ethiopia	33.45	2021	up 1.1%	rising
102	Malawi	32.92	2019	up 0.6%	falling
103	Uganda	32.78	2016	up 3.1%	flat
104	Niger	32.34	2018	down 5.4%	flat

Regions and income groups

Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.

Kosovo 40.83

About this data

Indicator: Average age of self-employed or unpaid workers, aged 15-64, total
Source: World Bank
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 106 places, 1,570 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed: 10 August 2026