Self-Employment in Wales
Wales is one of the UK's 12 statistical regions. Self-employment here means residents who work for themselves — sole traders, freelancers, contractors and partners — rather than as employees. According to the Office for National Statistics, 210,711 people were self-employed in Wales in 2019, equal to 14.5% of the region's workforce.
Quick answer
How Wales compares to the UK
Wales ranks 10th of 12 UK regions by the number of self-employed people and 6th by self-employment rate. Its 14.5% rate is above the UK-wide figure of 13.4% (Jan-Mar 2026). See all 12 UK regions →
Frequently asked questions
- How many people are self-employed in Wales?
- 210,711 people are self-employed in Wales as of 2019, making up 14.5% of the region's workforce. Source: ONS Annual Population Survey 2019 (Self-employment by NUTS1 region), OGL v3.0.
- What is the self-employment rate in Wales?
- The self-employment rate in Wales is 14.5% (2019), which is above the UK figure of 13.4%. Wales ranks 6th out of 12 UK regions by self-employment rate.
- Where does Wales rank in the UK for self-employment?
- Wales ranks 10th of 12 UK regions by the number of self-employed people (210,711) and 6th by self-employment rate (14.5%).
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.