54 Noteworthy Freelance Statistics for 2023

From coffee shops to home offices, from full-time gigs to side hustles, people are exploring their freelancing options.

And their search doesn’t show signs of slowing down. Not only that, but more organizations are turning to freelance platforms to find professionals with expertise for specific projects or job roles.

Let’s go headfirst into these freelance statistics and see how trends are moving for this type of work.

General freelance statistics

Before we get into specifics, we’ll go over some general freelance statistics that cover elements like the overall market, why freelancers choose this type of career, the challenges they face, and more. 

• Over half of freelancers have postgraduate education, up 6% from 2020.
• The worldwide freelance market is estimated to be worth $1.5 trillion and increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15%.
• Nearly 80% of workers choose to freelance in order to have more independence and supervise themselves.
• 91% of freelancers find work through word of mouth or referrals, mostly from past clients.
• 64% of freelance workers have claimed that their mental health has improved since they became freelancers.
• The 3 major challenges of freelancing are landing clients (31%), struggling with work-life balance (33%), and getting better payment (17%).

• The average freelancer works 36 hours a week.
• On average, the majority of freelancers work with up to four projects at any given time.

Freelance platform statistics

Next up are statistics specific to freelance platforms. Freelance platforms are great for businesses that want to browse profiles of specific freelancers based on details like their experience, skills, and location. They can also be used by companies to post a project description to get the attention of freelancers who may be interested.

These platforms offer a marketplace for businesses to browse profiles of freelancer candidates based on skills, experience, location, or other criteria. Alternatively, companies can also post a project description and solicit proposals from freelancers.

• Google has more freelance workers (54%) than regular, full-time workers (46%).
• Upwork is the world’s largest freelancer platform and generates over $2 billion in yearly revenue.
• Upwork has over 16 million freelancers.
• Upwork revenue rose over 200% from 2016 to 2021.
• Gig economy platforms are responsible for around 1-3% of total employment.
• Freelancers in the US, India, and the Philippines accounted for Upwork’s $150.09 million revenue in 2021.

Demographic-related freelance statistics

These next statistics are related to gender and freelance work, as the make-up for how men and women freelance aren't the same.. 

• Among freelancers, 52.3% are women and 47.7% are men.
• 55% of freelancers in North America are between the ages of 25 and 44.
• Female freelancers earn, on average, 84% of what male freelancers earn.

• Globally, nearly 70% of freelancers are 35 years old or younger.
• 36% of freelancers are in the fields of web and graphic design and programming.
• Over half of Generation Z workers are freelancers.

Location-based freelance statistics

From the United States to Africa, these statistics focus on where in the world freelancers are located and how much they earn.

• There are over 1.57 billion freelancers in the entire world.
• The United States has 73.3 million freelancers, up from 70.4 million in 2022.
• Freelancers make up around 37% of the US workforce.
• 48% of US freelancers are caregivers, and 33% live with someone who has a disability.
• The US is forecasted to reach 90.1 million by 2028.
• In the US, freelancer earnings total $1.3 trillion per year.
• Freelancers have an average salary in the US of $68,947 annually or $33 hourly.
• 33% of employed Americans who make more than $150,000 work independently to some extent.
• Nearly 4.2 million freelancers are working in the UK.
• Freelancers contribute £162 billion to the UK economy.
• The number of freelancers in France, Germany, and Spain totals around 3 million.
• There are over 15 million freelancers in India.
• 55% of freelancers in India are aged 21-29.
• In the Asia Pacific, nearly 85% of hiring managers outsource to freelancers. 
• There are an estimated 3.4 million freelancers in Japan.
• Africa is home to just over 10% of the global freelance workforce.

Freelance statistics by job role

From writing content for websites to photographing weddings, there are tons of different job roles available as a freelancer. Below we break down statistics by role or area of expertise. 

• Almost 40% of freelancers work 41-50 hours per week.
• Freelance writers make around $42,000 annually.
• A freelance data analyst makes, on average, $55–65 per hour and $100,000 per year.
• Freelance editors often gain between $25 and $35 per hour and around $40,000 per year.
• A standard freelance programmer receives $60–70 per hour or about $120,000 per year.
• The average freelance photographer pulls in between $35 and $45 per hour, roughly $42,000 annually.
• An average freelance developer gets paid between $50 and $60 per hour and around $100,000 per year.

• 61% of freelancers have two to three areas of expertise.
• Freelancing digital marketers pocket $50 per hour and $100,000 per year.
• Mobile app developers often earn between $55 and $65 per hour, or $100,000 per year as freelancers.
• Freelance grave tenders generate up to $28.50 per job.
• Social media marketing is the most in-demand skill for freelance marketers.
• Freelance transcriptionists can earn between $20 and $25 per hour or $32,000 per year.
• A graphic designer who freelances often charges $40–45 per hour, with an annual pay of roughly $90,000.
• Full-time freelancers rate their job satisfaction an average of 4.1 out of 5.

Be your own boss

Whether you’re an HR professional looking to hire a freelancer with a specific type of skill or someone trying to branch out and make extra cash on the side, freelancing could be exactly what you need.

Once your company hires a freelancer, consider using freelancer management systems to better organize contract workforces.