People are getting frustrated with leaving no room for family time or entertainment. Life gets boring with this strict schedule. In this scenario, outsiders are shifting towards online methods of earning. One of the growing ways freelancing is getting popular day by day due to flexibility in time and earnings. In today’s-blog, we will talk about the top 10 freelancing countries of the world in 2024. These are the countries with the most freelancers.
Key Takeaways
The USA tops the list of most freelancers in the country.
Asian countries are rapidly growing in the freelancing sector.
The trend of freelancing is skyrocketing in the Philippines and Ukraine.
The Top 10 Freelancing Countries
The top-ranking freelancing countries vary every year, but the list altogether does not change much. The number of freelancers in these countries continues to grow. We can see the fascinating growth of this industry in India and the Philippines. Let us know more about them!
USA
USA still stands highest on this list with 60 million Americans who are earning from freelancing. The net contribution to the economy is beyond $1.35 trillion. Almost 39% of the country’s citizens are involved in freelancing. These stats come from a report of 2022 by Payoneer.
USA has numerous skilled freelancers that span across different niches. You will find native English speakers who are professionals and experts in the their niche. Clients can never get short of finding freelancers from the US.
India
When we are talking about talent, South Asian countries, particularly India, stand at the top. Their huge population has a large number of skilled professionals. If you want to hire someone who puts in the utmost effort and works at a reasonable price – India is the best choice. India is the top-growing freelancing country.
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It might be difficult for Indian freelancers to work with foreign clients because of varying zones. Yet, this does not keep the talent behind. It is estimated that India will see $30B growth in this industry by 2025. In the year 2020, the COVID-19 period, there was a massive 46% increase in the number of freelancers in the country.
Philippines
Freelancers from the Philippines are well-ranked because of their professional behavior and excellent English language skills. Their major areas are virtual assistance, content creation, and customer service. The Philippines ranks as the fastest-growing freelancing country of freelancing. In 2019, it was the sixth-ranked freelancing market.
Filipinos are moving to this way of online earning much more after the pandemic. Over 1.5 million Filipinos are freelancers, over half of them aged between 21-35 years. That’s not all – two-thirds of Filipinos are managing their business along with their gigs. A significant proportion also works in part-time or full-time jobs along with it.
Pakistan
Pakistan’s freelancing market is growing rapidly. Freelancers have earned over $400 in the 2021 fiscal year. It is driven by talented youth, higher rates of unemployment, and greater potential for earnings. Pakistan’s government is also taking initiatives to promote this industry. Numerous courses are provided in centers across the country to teach freelancing skills.
IT-related freelance services are among the top ones contributing to the exports. The growth in the IT sector cannot be neglected. Non-IT services such as content writing and marketing experienced a rise.
Ukraine
Ukraine is facing conflicts and economic strains, yet its ranking is higher in the freelancing market. Their major areas are IT, copywriting, and graphics. Programmers are contributing 41.8% of the total projects and their budget is 55.2%. Flexibility and competitive pricing attract many Ukrainians to this market. 91000 people joined the freelancing industry in 2021.
Brazil
Brazil has a stable growth of the gig economy. Over 25 million people were engaged in the sector in the 2021 fiscal year. This sector has seen a rise because of business shutdowns after the pandemic and higher rates of unemployment.
They face numerous challenges, including language issues, yet their talent has brought them to this list. They are mostly offering services to Germany and France. Over 50% of freelancers say that demand for their services is rising every year.
UK
UK stands second with 4.2 million people who have adopted freelancing as their major source of income. The number of freelancers in 2020 was over 5 million, so this has seen a decline. This is particularly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the earnings from this sector have increased. Freelancers are contributing 163 billion to the UK economy. Manchester has the highest number of freelancers because of technological advancements.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is also an important contestant in the freelancing sector. It has over 650,000 people who are earning more than $100 million. Bangladesh has a low labor cost, and this compels youth to move towards online ways of earning. It has a growth rate of 26% in this sector.
Russia
Russian freelance market is estimated to reach 102 billion US dollars by 2025. This trend will also rise every coming year. In 2020, this market was only 41 billion US dollars. In 2021, the Payoneer reports show that 18 million people were a part of this niche. The most common skills offered by Russians are mobile app development, programming, and architecture.
Serbia
Here comes the last one in the slit of top-ranking countries in the freelancing marketplace. In 2021, over 80% of the Serbian freelancers had lower hourly rates than an average rate of $28. Yet, it saw a rise of 2% in the year 2022. The gig economy continues to rise due to numerous factors and the top freelancing countries of the world show technological advancement.
Best Countries to Hire Freelancers 2024
| Rank | Country | Score |
| 1 | United States | 97.46 |
| 2 | India | 95.71 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 94.81 |
| 4 | Philippines | 91.05 |
| 5 | Ukraine | 90.46 |
| 6 | Canada | 89.88 |
| 7 | Australia | 89.01 |
| 8 | Poland | 88.11 |
| 9 | Brazil | 87.45 |
| 10 | Portugal | 87.23 |
| 11 | Mexico | 82.68 |
| 12 | Indonesia | 75.95 |
| 13 | Argentina | 75.29 |
| 14 | Germany | 70.74 |
| 15 | Spain | 70.34 |
| 16 | South Africa | 68.33 |
| 17 | Morocco | 68.15 |
| 18 | Turkey | 59.67 |
| 19 | Serbia | 59.43 |
| 20 | France | 58.19 |
| 21 | United Arab Emirates | 57.13 |
| 22 | China | 56.31 |
| 23 | Macedonia | 56.3 |
| 24 | Japan | 53.88 |
| 25 | Vietnam | 52.38 |
| 26 | Italy | 51.44 |
| 27 | Spain | 50.41 |
| 28 | Pakistan | 48.56 |
| 29 | Bangladesh | 46.92 |
| 30 | Nigeria | 45.93 |
Source: https://ceoworld.biz/
Freelancing Revenue in Pakistan
In the fiscal year 2021-2022, freelancers contribute $400 million to exports. They are providing various skills to the foreign clients. It has seen a good growth of 2.74% as the remittance increased to $396.243. The export contribution of It services has seen a decline of $98 million. On the other hand, exports from non-IT services have boosted massively. It was $131 million in 2022, compared to $33 million in 2021.
Source: Payoneer
FAQs
How many freelancers are in Pakistan?
Pakistan has over 3 million freelancers, based on a report issued by MoITT in 2022.
How do Pakistani freelancers get paid?
Pakistani freelancers mainly use Payoneer for payments from international clients. Some of them use local bank accounts that are connected to freelancing platforms.
Why are there so many Pakistani freelancers?
People choose to freelance because of the lack of jobs, higher earning potential, and flexibility of work.
Is freelancing legal in Pakistan?
Yes, the Pakistani government promotes and encourages youth to be a part of the freelancing industry.
