Freelancing Statistics By Number Of Freelancers, Country, Region, Earnings, Demographics and Industries

Introduction

Freelancing Statistics: In today’s rapidly evolving job market, freelancing is no longer just a side gig—it’s a viable career choice for millions worldwide. As companies increasingly value flexibility and specialized skills, the demand for freelancers continues to soar. But while the promise of independence and control over your work-life balance is alluring, the path to a successful freelance career is filled with challenges.

From finding clients and managing finances to maintaining motivation, freelancing requires a unique set of strategies and a strong sense of discipline. This article delves into the essential tips and tools that every freelancer needs to thrive, whether you’re just starting or looking to take your freelance business to the next level.

Editor’s Choice

• Freelancing Statistics show that the total number of freelancers worldwide has reached approximately 1.57 billion, making up about 46.5% of the global workforce.
• In the United States, freelancers contributed an impressive USD 1.3 trillion to the economy in 2024, reflecting the critical role they play in the nation’s labour market.
• The average hourly rate for freelancers globally stands at USD 28.
• For instance, freelancers in North America tend to earn higher rates, with an average of USD 33 per hour​.
• The U.S. continues to lead in freelancing, with 76.4 million freelancers in 2024, up from 73.3 million in 2023.
• A large proportion of freelancers are young, with nearly 70% being under the age of 35. This trend is particularly strong in regions like Asia, where 82% of freelancers fall into this age group​.
• In 2024, the gender distribution among freelancers shows that 47.7% of freelancers are male, while 52.3% are female.
• Freelancing Statistics further state that the freelancing industry exhibits a nearly balanced gender distribution, with 52.3% of freelancers being female and 47.7% male.
• However, a significant gender pay gap persists, with male freelancers being 350% more likely to earn over USD 150,000 annually compared to their female counterparts​.
• The market for freelance platforms is growing rapidly, and it is predicted to reach USD 9.57 billion by 2030.

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General Freelancing Statistics

• In 2023, there were approximately 73.3 million freelancers in the U.S. alone, and the number is expected to increase to 76.4 million by 2024.
• Although freelance work has experienced significant growth, freelance platforms account for a mere 1-3% of global employment.
• The global freelance platform market is expected to reach USD 9.19 billion by 2027, driven by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) projected at 15.3% between 2021 and 2027.
• On a global scale, freelancers command an average hourly rate of USD 21.
• On average, freelancers specializing in web and mobile development, marketing, legal services, accounting, and other skilled professions command an hourly rate of USD 28, surpassing 70% of all hourly earnings across the United States.
• In 2024, approximately 60% of people who work independently have chosen freelancing as a deliberate career choice rather than out of necessity.
• The self-employment landscape has undergone a significant transformation, decreasing from 55.5% in 2000 to 46.6% in 2024.
• As of June 2024, traffic to Feelancer’s official website is predominantly driven by mobile devices, with 32.77% of visitors accessing the site via mobile. Moreover, desktop users account for 67.23% of the total visits.
• The total number of website visits to freelancer.com to date reached 6 million, increasing by 5.77% from last month and securing a 29.23% bounce rate.
• The Freelance Platforms Market is on track to achieve an impressive valuation of USD 9,570.3 million by 2030.

Freelancing Statistics By Number Of Freelancers

(Source: demandsage.com)

• As of 2024, the global freelance workforce is expansive, with an estimated 1.57 billion freelancers worldwide.
• This accounts for approximately 46.5% of the global working population.

(Reference: statista.com)

• As of 2024, the United States is home to an estimated 76.4 million freelancers, an increase of 3.1 million from last year, with projections indicating that this number will surpass 90 million by 2028.
• The total number of freelancers in the U.S. is estimated to grow in coming years, expected to be 2025 (79.6 million), 2026 (83 million), 2027 (86.5 million), and 2028 (90.1 million).
• India continues to be a major hub for freelancers, with around 15 million freelancers, particularly in IT, content writing, and digital marketing​.
• Brazil has seen a significant rise in freelancing, with about 25 million self-employed workers, followed by the United Kingdom (4.2 million freelancers).

Freelancing Statistics By Country

• In 2024, the United States of America experienced an impressive surge in freelance revenue, boasting a remarkable year-over-year growth rate of 78%, the highest globally.
• Meanwhile, other fastest-growing countries in terms of freelance revenue YoY growth rate for 2024 are the United Kingdom (59%), Brazil (48%), Pakistan (48%), Ukraine (36%), the Philippines (35%), India (25%), Bangladesh (27%), Russia (20%), and Serbia (19%).

By Earnings

• Freelancing Statistics states that the average annual income for freelancers in the United States is USD 99,230.
• At the upper end of the scale, top freelancers can earn up to USD 200,000 annually.
• The average hourly rate for freelancers globally is approximately USD 19, though this can vary widely.
• In the U.S., the average hourly rate is higher, around USD 47.71. Freelancers in technology and programming often earn hourly rates ranging from USD 60 to 100​.
• 31% of freelancers earn over USD 75,000 annually, indicating that a significant portion of freelancers are achieving substantial financial success. However, 69% earn less than USD 75,000, reflecting the income disparity within the freelance community​.
• 24% of freelancers earn between USD 6 and USD 10 per hour, often in entry-level or less specialised roles.
• A notable gender pay gap exists within freelancing, with male freelancers being 4.5 times more likely to earn over USD 150,000 annually compared to their female counterparts.
• Additionally, nearly 48% of female freelancers earn less than USD 25,000 per year.​

Freelancer Wage Statistics By Demographics

(Source: cdn.buttercms.com)

• In recent years, Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) now dominate the global freelance landscape, with an impressive 70% of freelancers being under the age of 35.

Here’s an analysis of the average hourly earnings for freelancers segmented by age group:

(Source: techreport.com)

• Freelancing Statistics further depict that in 2024, around 24% of freelancers earn around USD 6 to 10 per hour.
• Moreover, the global freelancer share by hour is followed by 17% (USD 11 to 15), 16% (USD 5 hours or less), 13% (USD 16 to 20), 10% (USD 31 to 50), 9% (USD 21 to 25), and 7% (USD 26 to 30).

By Average Annual Earnings

(Reference: explodingtopics.com)

• Freelancing Statistics 2024 also shows that programmers command the highest average hourly wage in the United States, ranging from USD 60 to USD 70, which translates to an annual salary of approximately USD 120,000.

Furthermore, the table below includes the average salaries of all the other popular freelancing activities:

The Top Ranked By Most Freelancers By Country

• As stated in Freelancing Statistics in 2024, an astonishing 95.1% of the workforce in Niger is engaged in freelancing.

(Source: freelancemile.com)

Most Common Freelance Job Postings Statistics

• Freelancing Statistics 2024 also elaborates that Web and software development continues to dominate freelance job postings, accounting for approximately 35% of all freelance job listings in the U.S.
• Creative and design services, including graphic design, UX/UI design, and multimedia production, make up about 25% of freelance job postings.
• However, other freelancing job posting shares are followed by Writing and content creation (20%), social media management, PPC, and email marketing (15%), and virtual assistants and customer service representatives (10%).

Average Freelancer Work Statistics Per Week

• Around 54% of freelancers work full-time, typically putting in around 40 hours a week.
• About 27% of them report working more than the standard five days per week. These freelancers are likely working between 50 to 60 hours a week on average.​
• 12% of freelancers work four days a week, usually balancing their freelance activities with other responsibilities or part-time jobs. This group tends to work between 32 to 35 hours a week.
• 8% work fewer than four days a week, often working on a part-time basis or taking on freelance work in addition to other commitments. These freelancers typically work 20 hours or less per week​.

Average Freelance Hourly Rate By Region

North America

• The average hourly rate for freelancers in the U.S. is approximately USD 47.71, with technical fields like programming commanding higher rates, often between USD 60 to 70 per hour.
• Similar to the U.S., Canadian freelancers typically earn between USD 40 and USD 60 per hour, depending on their specialisation​.

Europe

• Freelancing Statistics also show that the average freelance hourly rate in Europe is around USD 19 to 25.

Asia

• In countries like India, the average hourly rate for freelancers is lower, typically ranging from USD 10 to 25.
• However, specialized skills, particularly in IT and software development, can command higher rates, up to USD 40 to 50 per hour.
• Freelancers here, particularly in virtual assistance and creative services, typically charge between USD 8 to 20 per hour.

South America

• Freelancers in Brazil charge an average of USD 10 to 20 per hour, with higher rates for specialised skills like software development and digital marketing.
• Other South American countries follow similar patterns, with average rates in the USD 10 to 15 per hour range depending on the skill set and experience.​

Africa

• Freelancers in Africa, particularly in countries like Nigeria and Kenya, typically charge between USD 5 and USD 15 per hour.

Proportion Of Freelancers In US Industries

(Reference: cdn.buttercms.com)

• Freelancing Statistics further states that in the United States, the arts and design industry has the highest proportion of freelance workers, with approximately 75% (or 3 in 4) of professionals in this sector being self-employed.
• Furthermore, other proportions of freelancers by industry are followed by marketing (58%), computers/Mathematics (53%), Construction (52%), personal care/wellness service (48%), transportation (39%), Finance/business operations (37%), sales (33%), education (31%), management (29%), healthcare support (28%), food prep/service (25%), healthcare (24%), production/manufacturing (20%), and office work/administrative support (19%).

Proportion Of Freelancer Statistic By Age Group

• As mentioned in Freelancing Statistics, around 53% of Gen Z workers have engaged in freelancing in 2024.
• On the other hand, approximately 44% of Millennials (23 to 28 years old) will freelance, followed by 31% of Generation X (39 to 54 years old) and 29% of Baby Boomers (ages 55 and above).

By Income

• In the U.S., the average hourly rate for freelancers will be around USD 47.71 in 2024, with significant variations depending on industry and location.
• Globally, the average rate for freelancers is around USD 19 per hour, but this varies widely depending on the region and field of work.

By Educational Qualification

• Approximately 45% of freelancers in the U.S. have a postgraduate degree (Master’s, PhD, etc.).
• Similarly, around 32% of freelancers hold a Bachelor’s degree and typically work in areas such as graphic design, content writing, digital marketing, and software development.
• Freelancing Statistics 2024 shows that other freelancers’ educational qualifications were followed by an Associate Degree or College Diploma (23%) and High School or less (37%).

By Race

• Freelancing Statistics also states that 62% of freelancers in the U.S. identify as White, making this the largest racial group within the freelance community.
• Similarly, 16% of freelancers identify as Hispanic or Latino, especially in sectors like digital marketing, design, and customer service.
• Furthermore, the proportion of freelancers by race in the U.S. followed by Black or African American (12%), Asian (5%), and other ethnicities (5%).

Other Interesting Facts In These Recent Work-life Balance Freelance Statistics 2024

Top Reasons For Freelancing In The U.S.

(Source: cdn.buttercms.com)

• Over 56% of U.S. freelancers cite the desire to accumulate additional savings as their primary motivation for using gig platforms.
• This is closely followed by 52% who turn to gig work to bridge gaps or adjust to fluctuations in their income.
• Furthermore, other reasons for American Freelancing include being able to control one’s schedule (49%), wanting to be one’s boss (35%), working for fun, having something to do in spare time (32%), and not having many local job opportunities (28%).

Freelancer Website Traffic Statistics By Country

(Reference: similarweb.com)

• Freelancing Statistics 2024: India had 15.65% of the website’s total traffic, which has increased by 28.72%.
• During the same duration, other countries recorded the following contribution in total traffic: Pakistan: 14.82% (+28.72%), the United States: 12.54% (+3.75%), Bangladesh: 7.72% (-16.74%), and Egypt: 3.75% (+2.74%).
• Other countries collectively made up around 6.88% of visitors shared on freelance.com.

By Device

(Reference: semrush.com)

• Freelancer Website users make up around 18.25% of Kenya’s user base, which is 1.87 million. Of this, 93.1% have access to the desktop version, and 6.9% have mobile devices.
• In India, this website had 1.5 million users and 14.65% user traffic, with desktop and mobile users being 57.23% and 42.77%, respectively.
• The United States of America and Pakistan each have around 663.55K and 518.17K users, and their website traffic is around 6.49% and 5.07%.
• Besides, in the U.S., 57.34% and 42.66% of users accessed freelance.com via desktop and mobile devices, while in Pakistan, around 70.48% accessed the website via desktops and 29.52% through mobile devices.
• Lastly, Indonesia had 464,55K users on freelancer.com, with a user share of 4.54%. Around 22.92% of these came via desktop, and 77.08% were on mobile devices.

By Demographics

(Reference: similarweb.com)

• In July 2024, male and female users of freelancer.com were 60.72% and 39.28%, respectively.
• The Freelancing Statistics by age group state that the highest number of website users observed is between 25 and 34 years old, which is 40.73%.
• 20.34% of Freelancer website users are aged 18 to 24 years.
• In contrast, 18.6% and 10.18% belong to individuals aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 54, respectively.
• Around 5.95% of users are aged from 55 to 64 years.
• 4.21% of user shares of freelance.com contributed from the age group above 65 years.

By Traffic Source

(Reference: similarweb.com)

• Freelancing Statistics 2024 also shows that direct search generated the highest traffic rate to freelancer.com, 67.14%.
• Almost 22.42% of the share is made up of direct traffic searches, while 5.71% is from paid searches.
• Meanwhile, the website’s other traffic sources are referrals (3.58%), social (0.9%), mail (0.13%), and display (0.11%).

By Social Media Referral Statistics

(Reference: similarweb.com)

• Freelancing Statistics also reported that YouTube had the highest social media referral rate, with a 34.88% share compared to other social network traffic.
• LinkedIn and Facebook each contributed a share of 23.54% and 18.21% on freelancer.com.
• Similarly, 12.94% and 2.91% of freelance shares were captured by WhatsApp and Instagram.
• Other social network distributions of freelance.com collectively made up around 7.52% of the share.

5 Staggering Statistics About Most Popular Freelancing Platforms 2024

• Upwork continues to dominate the freelancing market, with over 18 million registered freelancers globally. It holds the largest market share, accounting for 9% of the market.
• Fiverr remains a top choice for many freelancers, especially those offering quick gigs starting at USD 5. To date, Fiverr freelancers have earned over USD 2 billion.
• As per Freelancing Statistics, 99designs, a platform connecting businesses with freelance designers, has paid out over $310 million to freelancers since its inception in 2008.
• Freelancer.com, another major player in the freelancing space, boasts over 31 million users.
• People Per Hour has over 1.5 million registered users across 89 countries, and more than 1 million jobs have been posted on the platform. Freelancers on this platform have generated over $100 million in revenue, making it a significant player in the global freelancing market.

How Freelancers Benefit Companies In 2024?

• Freelancing Statistics elaborates that companies that hire freelancers can save up to 30% on operating costs compared to hiring full-time staff.
• Approximately 70% of American businesses report that freelancers provide crucial skills that are difficult to find in the traditional workforce.
• 81% of small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. have hired freelancers to handle fluctuating workloads and fill temporary gaps.
• Companies report that freelancers can reduce project completion times by up to 50%, allowing businesses to meet tight deadlines and respond more swiftly to market changes.
• 72% of companies have reported that freelancers helped drive innovation by offering fresh insights and approaches to challenges.
• Businesses report a 20% reduction in hiring risks by using freelancers for trial projects before committing to long-term contracts.

Statistics About The Challenges Freelancers Face

• In the fiscal year 2024, 68% of freelancers report that income instability is a significant challenge.
• Moreover, 62% of freelancers say that finding new clients and projects is one of their top challenges.
• As mentioned in Freelancing statistics, with the growing number of freelancers entering the market, 32% of freelancers consider high competition a major threat.
• 21% of freelancers struggle with the lack of benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings.
• 25% of freelancers find setting and negotiating rates challenging, particularly for those new to the industry.

How Do Freelancers Find Work Source 2024?

• According to recent data, 91% of freelancers find jobs through word-of-mouth referrals, primarily from previous clients and professional networks.
• In addition, 48% of freelancers rely on their own websites or online portfolios to attract clients.
• Based on Freelancing Statistics, these platforms also play a significant role, with 33% of freelancers using sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com to connect with clients.
• Social media has emerged as another important tool, with 25% of freelancers leveraging platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to network and find work.

Future Trends In Freelancing Statistics 2024

• The demand for AI-related freelancing roles is anticipated to grow by 25% in 2024 compared to 2023.
• The number of freelancers working for international clients will increase by 15% in 2024.
• The revenue of freelancing platforms will grow by 20% in 2024, driven by the increased number of users and enhanced services.
• Based on Freelance Statistics, there is a growing trend towards sustainability. Ethical freelancing will attract more clients who prioritize sustainability, leading to a 10% increase in projects related to green and ethical initiatives.
• Entry-level freelancers might experience a 5-10% decrease in average rates due to competition.
• Freelancers who effectively leverage social media platforms are expected to increase their client base by 15%.
• Meanwhile, The number of freelancers adopting this hybrid model is expected to grow by 12% in 2024.
• Freelancers who adopt these technologies are expected to see a 20% increase in efficiency, which will allow them to take on more projects.
• The proportion of freelancers aged 50+ is expected to increase by 8% in 2024.

Conclusion

Freelancing in 2024 continues to be a dynamic and evolving career path, offering significant opportunities alongside notable challenges. The growing demand for specialized skills marks the industry, as do the expansion of global talent pools and the rise of freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. However, freelancers must also navigate significant challenges, including income instability, difficulty finding work, intense competition, and the absence of traditional job benefits.

Despite these hurdles, the appeal of freelancing remains strong, driven by the desire for flexibility, autonomy, and the potential for higher earnings. For those considering freelancing, it’s essential to stay informed about industry trends, continuously hone skills, and build a strong personal brand to thrive in this competitive
landscape.

Aruna Madrekar

Aruna is an editor at Sci-Tech Today with a strong knowledge of SEO. She is skilled at writing and editing articles that are helpful and interesting to readers. Aruna also creates charts and graphs to embed in the articles, making them easier to understand. Her work helps Sci-Tech Today reach a large audience and share valuable information.

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