Insee Première · June 2025 · n° 2060

Earned incomes of
self-employed in 2023 High inflation continued to weigh on purchasing power

At the end of 2023, 4.2 million people were self-employed in France. Excluding the agricultural sector, the number of so-called “traditional” self-employed persons, which had been falling between 2013 and 2020 and then rose slightly in 2021 and 2022, was almost stable in 2023 (+0.1%). The number of micro-entrepreneurs, meanwhile, continued to rise more sharply (+7.2% in 2023), and now accounted for just over half of all
self-employed persons (51%). The total number of self-employed persons (excluding the agricultural sector) was up by 78% compared to the end of 2008, or +1.6 million.

The average income of self-employed persons rebounded in 2021 after a fall during the health crisis. As in 2022, against a backdrop of high inflation, income for “traditional”
self-employed persons continued to fall in 2023, by -4.4% in constant euros, after -5.2% in 2022. It was 6.3% below its pre-crisis level. The average income of micro-entrepreneurs fell in 2023 (-3.5%, after +1.4% in 2022), but was still higher than its pre-crisis level (+2.4%).