Self-Employment in Yorkshire and The Humber

Yorkshire and The Humber 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, 345,139 people were self-employed in Yorkshire and The Humber in 2019, equal to 13.5% of the region's workforce.

Quick answer

345,139
self-employed in Yorkshire and The Humber (2019)
13.5%
of the regional workforce (above the 13.4% UK rate)
10th
of 12 UK regions by self-employment rate

How Yorkshire and The Humber compares to the UK

Yorkshire and The Humber ranks 7th of 12 UK regions by the number of self-employed people and 10th by self-employment rate. Its 13.5% 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 Yorkshire and The Humber?
345,139 people are self-employed in Yorkshire and The Humber as of 2019, making up 13.5% 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 Yorkshire and The Humber?
The self-employment rate in Yorkshire and The Humber is 13.5% (2019), which is above the UK figure of 13.4%. Yorkshire and The Humber ranks 10th out of 12 UK regions by self-employment rate.
Where does Yorkshire and The Humber rank in the UK for self-employment?
Yorkshire and The Humber ranks 7th of 12 UK regions by the number of self-employed people (345,139) and 10th by self-employment rate (13.5%).

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.