Share of the total workforce that is self-employed in European countries 2022

Greece was the European country with the highest self-employment rate in 2022, as the southern European country had over a quarter of its workforce in self-employment. Other European countries with high self-employment rates include Italy, Poland, and Czechia. Without exception, all European countries display a higher rate of self-employment among men than among women, with this being particularly notable in countries such as Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, but especially in Ireland where the male self-employment rate stood at 16.1 percent, while for females it was only 6.5 percent. 

Self-employment is much lower in some northern European countries, with Norway, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden all having self-employment rates of less than 10 percent, like a result of the historical prevalence of large industries with unionized workforces in these countries, as well as highly regulated labor markets which are less conducive of self-employment.