There were more than 228 million employed people in the European Union (EU) in 2017 and about 33 million (14 %) of these were self-employed.
Figures from the EU Labour Force Survey show that across the EU as a whole, 48 % of people who were self-employed in 2017 reported 'high satisfaction' with their current job. The results at the individual EU Member State level reveal a wide variation around the EU average.
The data source is here.
In three EU Member States, more than 80 % of self-employed people reported high satisfaction with their job: Sweden (83 %), Malta (82 %) and Denmark (81 %).
For a further 21 Member States the proportions were between 30 % and 70 %. Four Member States had less than 30 % of self-employed reporting high satisfaction with their job: Bulgaria (just below 30 %), Portugal (29 %), Cyprus (26 %) and Romania (19 %).
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on self-employment statistics
- Eurostat News Release on self-employment in 2017
- Overview of EU Labour Force Survey
- Overview of EU Labour Force Survey ad hoc modules on specific labour market topics
To contact us: estat-user-support@ec.europa.eu