Global Self-Employed People in Accommodation and Food Services Sector by Country

The global self-employed workforce in the accommodation and food services sector presents significant variability across countries. As of 2023, Colombia leads with 648,000 self-employed individuals, followed by Japan with 518,000. The United States has a notable figure of 215,000, while Netherlands, Portugal, and Austria reflect moderate values of 115,000, 74,640, and 56,050 respectively. Canada, Israel, Estonia, and Iceland have lower figures, marking 35,520, 14,610, 1,660, and 400 respectively.

Analyzing year-on-year variations from 2023, sectors in Colombia, Austria, Canada, Estonia, and Iceland experienced declines, with Iceland facing the steepest drop of 4.36%. Conversely, the Netherlands saw the highest growth at 2.63%. Future trends indicate that while mature markets like the U.S. and Japan may continue to face moderate declines, emerging and smaller economies might see growth driven by tourism and digital platform utilization.

Key trends to watch include:

• Adoption of digital platforms for bookings and customer engagement.
• Impact of economic policies and incentives on entrepreneurship.
• Shifts in tourism patterns post-pandemic, potentially boosting smaller markets.
• Increasing preference for local and authentic experiences among travelers.