How own-account and contributing family work changed in Southern Africa
The ILO estimates that own-account and contributing family workers made up 83.69% of employment in Mozambique and 70.17% in Zambia in 2025. Zambia was at 82.30% in 2000.
Sources checked
Southern Africa Review Editorial Team
2000 to 2025Own-account and family work by country
The ILO estimate declined from 82.30% in 2000 to 73.37% in 2015 and 70.17% in 2025. Mozambique remained above 80% in the 2025 estimate after a smaller fall from 88.90% in 2000. Source 1
Botswana moved up over the full interval
Botswana was at 19.06% in 2000 and 25.61% in 2025, below its 2011 estimate of 28.07%. South Africa’s latest estimate was 11.66%, up from 10.85% in 2000. Source 1
The categories are based on a worker’s status
An own-account worker is self-employed and generally works without employing workers on a continuous basis. A contributing family worker works in an enterprise operated by a related person. The indicator counts those groups as a share of all employment. Source 2
Job quality requires separate measures
The status classification gives one way to study economic exposure. Earnings, social protection, income volatility and conditions are measured separately. National source surveys can provide more context about the work within each group. Source 2