Self-Employment: Wales vs Northern Ireland
Comparing self-employment in Wales and Northern Ireland using official ONS figures. In 2019, 210,711 people were self-employed in Wales (14.5% of the workforce) versus 134,126 in Northern Ireland (15.5%). Northern Ireland has the higher self-employment rate, by 1.0%.
Quick answer
Side by side
| Measure | Wales | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed people | 210,711 | 134,126 |
| Self-employment rate | 14.5% | 15.5% |
| Rank by rate (of 12) | 6th | 5th |
| Rank by number (of 12) | 10th | 12th |
| Reference period | 2019 | 2019 |
Ranks are across all 12 UK statistical regions. The self-employed count and rate are the latest ONS regional figures (2019); the national rate is from ONS EMP14 (Jan-Mar 2026) and is not directly comparable to the regional counts.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has a higher self-employment rate, Wales or Northern Ireland?
- Northern Ireland has the higher self-employment rate: 15.5% vs 14.5% — a gap of 1.0%. Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (2019).
- How many people are self-employed in Wales and Northern Ireland?
- 210,711 people are self-employed in Wales and 134,126 in Northern Ireland (ONS, 2019). That is a difference of 76,585 people, with Wales having more.
- How do Wales and Northern Ireland rank in the UK for self-employment?
- Out of the 12 UK regions, Wales ranks 6th by self-employment rate and Northern Ireland ranks 5th. Both are measured against the UK-wide rate of 13.4% (Jan-Mar 2026).
- Is self-employment growing faster in Wales or Northern Ireland?
- The ONS regional breakdown reports a point-in-time count and rate for 2019, not a growth rate, so a like-for-like growth comparison is not available from this dataset. What it does show is that Northern Ireland has the higher self-employment rate of the two (15.5%).
Related comparisons
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Self-employment by NUTS1 (region) (2019, released 2020-04-17). Survey source: Annual Population Survey (regional, 2018-based weights) / Labour Force Survey (national). Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data accessed and verified 2026-06-27.