Whether it’s full-time self-management or a side hustle, freelancing statistics show workers are increasingly going independent. Helped by remote working and the Great Resignation, as well as layoffs across industries, the freelance economy is booming.
Find out more about the freelance market, the typical freelancer’s age and gender, their average rate and, last but in no way the least, the answer to the question:
Are freelancers happier?
Top 10 Freelancing Statistics and Facts
There are around 1.57 billion self-employed people in the world.
There were 60 million freelancers and gig workers in the US in 2022.
The global freelancing market size was estimated at $355 billion in 2021.
Women made up 29% of freelancers in 2021, up from 22% in 2015.
12% of freelancers started working in this way in 2020.
51% of Gen Zers are contract, freelance, temporary or gig workers.
28% of current employees in the US and UK plan to do freelance work in the next five years.
The fields with the highest freelance rates are finance, marketing, and programming.
65% of employers say saving time is the biggest pro of working with freelancers.
The worldwide average hourly freelancer rate is $28.
Freelance Statistics — The Essentials
There are around 1.57 billion self-employed people in the world.
One of the most surprising freelance workforce statistics concerns the sheer size of the self-employed workforce. This number includes gig workers, freelancers, and others who aren’t officially considered employees. The percentage of global workers that are freelancers was at 46.4% in 2019.
(World Bank)
There were 60 million freelancers and gig workers in the US in 2022.
So how many freelancers are there in the US at the moment? Growing from 59 million to 60 million people in 2022, the freelance workforce grew by 3% reaching 39% of the US workforce in general. Moreover, 17% of workers in the US do freelance work alongside a traditional job.
(Upwork)
The global freelance market size was estimated at $355 billion in 2021.
A report based on the most successful freelance platforms including Fiverr, Upwork, Envato Studio, Freelancer.com, Uber, Airtasker, Vrbo, Airbnb, and Etsy shows that the freelance market exceeded $355 billion. It’s also expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.18% by 2027 when it’s expected to reach $873 billion.
(Globe Newswire)
In 2022, the freelance market contributed $1.35 trillion to the US economy.
Freelancers contributed around 5% to the US GDP in annual earnings. Freelance statistics also indicate that the contribution to the GDP increased by $50 billion compared to 2021.
(Upwork)
Freelancer Demographics
Women made up 29% of freelancers in 2021, up from 22% in 2015.
In the last eight years, the number of women freelancers has grown, as freelance demographics show. The growth has been especially strong following the onset of the pandemic, growing more between 2020 and 2021 than in the preceding five years, from 24% to 29%.
(Payoneer)
12% of freelancers started working in this way in 2020.
The previous several years have shown acceleration in the growth of freelance, as trends show. Economic turbulence, the pandemic, and the changes underlying the Great Resignation pushed many people to look for work on platforms and apps.
(Upwork)
51% of Gen Zers are contract, freelance, temporary or gig workers.
Stats about Gen Z show the age group is most likely to work independently. Over half of the workforce describe their work status as gig, contract temporary, or freelance, compared to 36% for other age groups. Moreover, most Gen Z freelancers say they would rather work as permanent employees, whereas only 28% say they enjoy freelance work.
(McKinsey)
25% of people between 16 and 24 said they did gig work during the pandemic.
Freelance stats show the youngest respondents are the most active in the gig economy, with 25% compared to 18% overall.
(Remote)
28% of current employees in the US and UK plan to do freelance work in the next five years.
Almost a third of employees in the US and UK would consider being a freelancer, statistics say. Moreover, 21% of current employees plan to start freelancing in the next 11 months. The percentage is even higher in the 25-34 age group, with 40% considering doing freelance work, and 52% being open to part-time freelancing.
(Remote)
Statistics on Freelance Jobs
The fields with the highest freelance rates are finance, marketing, and programming.
The average hourly freelance rate for services in finance amounted to $41, followed by marketing at $34, multimedia at $33, IT services at $29, and project management at $26 (although demand is in decline). The next best-paid job is freelance writing, as statistics put the average global rate for content writing at $24 per hour.
(Payoneer)
Freelancing trends show growing demand for finance, IT, programming, and marketing.
The demand for professionals in finance, IT, marketing, and programming is growing at the fastest rate, with 21% for programming, 19% for finance, and 14% for IT services and marketing. The fields experiencing the highest decrease in demand are customer support with −20%, project management with −10%, and sales with −8%.
(Payoneer)
The most popular field of work is web and graphic design.
According to the most recent report by Payoneer, most (22%) of freelancers specialize in web and graphic design, making it the most competitive freelance field. Apart from design, the most common freelance jobs are programming with 14%, content writing with 10%, multimedia production with 9%, and translation with 7%.
(Payoneer)
The worldwide average hourly freelancer rate is $28, much higher than the $21 average rate two years ago.
Payoneer’s report shows that 40% of respondents have seen an increase in freelancer rates since the pandemic started. For a significant percentage, the hourly rates haven’t changed, while 12% report a downward trend. However, when looking at the average freelancing rates by gender, the numbers change significantly.
(Payoneer)
On average, female freelancers make $23 per hour, while male freelancers earn $28.
The typical freelancing income also varies by gender. On average, female freelancers make 82% of what male freelancers make. It’s even more concerning that the gender pay gap in freelancing increased compared to the previous report when it was at 84%, even though more women started freelancing in the meantime.
(Statista)
Almost 20% of full-time independent workers make more than $100,000.
Freelance economy statistics show that the number of highly-educated freelancers with in-demand skills is growing. Consequently, freelancers’ rates are going up on average, and 4.4 million people reported annual earnings above $100,000 in 2022, 16% more compared to 2021.
(MBO Partners)
Being Self-Employed, According to Statistics
Freelancers are more satisfied with their work life in general.
Stats about job satisfaction confirm what those who want to switch to freelancing wish for: freelancers are more likely to be happy with their jobs. 77% of freelancers are satisfied with their job in general, compared to 70% of employees. The greatest gap in job satisfaction is seen in the freedom to do tasks they find interesting, with 75% of freelancers being happy with this aspect compared to 61% of employees.
(Upwork)
83% of freelancers consider self-management the top benefit of freelancing.
Freelancer stats also show that 57% agree that self-management turned out easier than they thought. The next most-appreciated aspect of freelancing is being in full control of one’s own schedule, according to 81% of respondents.
(Remote)
On the other hand, their biggest concern is managing an irregular income (63%).
Right behind income management, finding enough work is next on the list of freelancers’ worries with 61%. However, 52% of freelancers reported having a higher income compared to working for an employer.
(Remote)
There were 5.8 million digital nomads who were independent workers or freelancers in 2022.
One of the most interesting freelancing facts is that freelance jobs often offer more opportunities to do location-independent work. So while it took a pandemic to bring remote work to many traditional jobs (as remote work numbers confirm), many of the freelancers were already out there traveling. This is why digital nomad statistics show that the increase in traveling freelancers hasn’t increased as drastically with the pandemic. So in 2021, it increased by a modest 5%.
(MBO Partners)
Freelancing Stats: The Business Perspective
65% of employers say saving time is the biggest pro of working with freelancers.
In a survey conducted by Remote, saving time was chosen by the majority of employers as the top benefit of working with freelancers, while 62% of them also chose cost-effectiveness as a major perk. On the other hand, one of the least surprising freelance facts is that not being familiar enough with a company was chosen as the main downside to working with freelancers.
(Remote)
The number of occasional independent and freelance workers shows the highest rate of growth.
Between 2020 and 2022, the freelance industry welcomed millions of professionals, receiving not only full-time freelancers, but also more people who do freelance work as a side hustle. In the two years, the number of people who do freelance or independent work occasionally doubled: from 15.8 million in 2020 to 31.9 million in 2022.
(MBO Partners)
68% of freelancers said clients became more open to working with freelancers after the pandemic.
The global shift to remote work also contributed to the rise of freelancing. 68% said clients were more open to working with freelance talent compared to pre-pandemic times. Moreover, an optimistic 71% of freelancers expected their income to increase in the following year.
(99Designs)
56% of hiring managers used more independent talent over the past 12 months.
Most managers that work with freelancers used their services more during the last year. Not only that, but as stats about freelancing show, managers that work with freelancers are more likely to be confident about responding to disruption (84%) than managers that don’t work with freelancers (69%).
(Upwork)
Conclusion
Businesses are increasing the number of freelancers they hire, along with the demand for freelance services such as finance, marketing, programming, and IT services. The rates have gone up for 40% of freelancers, while a third of employees consider doing freelance work in the future.
Finally, even though working independently isn’t without risks, freelancing statistics illustrate how and why more than 60 million in the US choose to work on their own—77% of them are satisfied with their job, compared to 70% of employees.
FAQ
Are freelancers happier than employees?
What industry has the most freelancers?
What is most demanded in freelancing?
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