At the end of 2022, 4.4 million people in France were running a business. Among them, 4.0 million were non‑salaried workers (i.e. paid by a means other than a salary), either as their main activity or as a complement to a salaried one.

Whether farmers, shopkeepers, craftspeople or liberal professionals, they were, on average, older than employees and were most likely to be working in construction, health sectors or personal services (artistic and recreational activities, teaching and hairdressing in particular). Women were in the minority among self‑employed workers (24% in agriculture, 41% in other sectors), while accounting for 26% of salaried and 49% of non‑salaried farm workers.

Excluding agriculture, the number of non‑salaried workers rose by 72% between 2008 and 2022. This dynamism fully reflects the success of the “auto‑entrepreneur” status, created in 2009 and requalified as a “micro‑entrepreneur” in 2014. By the end of 2022, 1.8 million micro‑entrepreneurs were economically active, representing almost one out of two non‑agricultural self‑employed workers. They even accounted for more than three‑quarters in some personal services such as arts, recreation and education, in non‑store retailing (on markets, by distance or other channels) and in home delivery. Three out of ten micro‑entrepreneurs combined their self‑employed activity with a salaried job, compared with one out of ten traditional non‑salaried workers.

In 2022, traditional non‑salaried workers (excluding micro‑entrepreneurs) earned an average of 4,030 euros per month, i.e.11.7% more than in 2013, in constant euros. The lowest‑paying sectors were non‑store retail trade, taxi drivers and drivers of hire cars with drivers (HCD), personal services, arts, entertainment and recreation, and education. In contrast, doctors and dentists had the highest average income, ahead of lawyers and accountants, and pharmacists. Micro‑entrepreneurs earned an average of 670 euros per month in 2022.

Earned income was more concentrated among self‑employed workers than among private‑sector employees. Among traditional self‑employed workers (excluding agriculture and zero income), the top 10% of earners alone accounted for 39% of the total earned income (versus 27% among salaried workers).