Number of self-employed people in the EU 2002-2023

Published by
Catalina Espinosa,
Oct 15, 2024

There are approximately 27.97 million self-employed people working in the European Union, as of 2023. Between 2002 and 2023, the year with the highest number of self-employed workers in the European Union was 2007, when there were estimated to be 29.2 million. After dropping by approximately one million people during the Coronavirus pandemic, the number of self-employed people has shown a strong resurgence in 2023, particularly amongst women. 

Number of self-employed people in the European Union from 2002 to 2023 (in millions of people)

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Source

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Release date

September 2024

Region

Europe, EU

Survey time period

2002 to 2023

Age group

15-74 years

Supplementary notes

The source adds the following information: "Self-employed persons are the ones who work in their own business, farm or professional practice. A self-employed person is considered to be working if she/he meets one of the following criteria: works for the purpose of earning profit, spends time on the operation of a business or is in the process of setting up his/her business."

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