The number of digital nomads worldwide has reached 35 million in 2023. Digital Nomad statistics further reveal that 47% of these nomads are from the United States.
The majority of the digital nomads earn around $123,500 a year and are able to save a lot of it even after so much traveling.
If you are someone who wishes to go down this path or a brand who wish to provide something for the digital nomads. This post is for you. We have covered everything from the demographics of digital nomads to their pain points and lifestyle choices.
Here we go!
Digital Nomad Statistics: Our Top Picks for 2024
- As we enter into 2024, there are 35 million digital nomads worldwide.
- 16.9 million digital nomads are from the United States.
- 47% 0f the digital marketers are in their 30s.
- 58% of the digital nomads are men.
- 76% of the digital nomads are white.
- 47% of the digital nomads are millennials.
- 90% of the digital nomads have completed their higher education.
- Hiking is the most preferred outdoor activity by digital nomads. 52% of the nomad women and 49% of the nomad men like the sport.
- The United States, Spain, and Thailand are the most visited countries by digital nomads.
- A digital nomad earn between 100K and 250K on average.
- Over two-thirds of digital nomads work for a maximum of 40 hours in a week.
- 43% of the digital nomads are self-employed as of 2024.
What is a Digital Nomad?
Digital Nomads are the people who work remotely with the help of the technology. Along with working remotely, they travel for various reasons and different lengths of time.
Usually, digital nomads work as copywriters, data analysts, translators, developers, or graphic designers.
Besides, digital nomads often work as freelancers. However, they can also be a full-time company or contractor employee.
How many digital nomads are there?
- There are 35 million digital nomads worldwide as of the beginning of 2024.
47% of digital nomads belong to the United States accounting for 16.9 million.
The following table displays the number of digital nomads recorded in the United States over the past years.
| Year | Number of Digital Nomads |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 16.9 million |
| 2021 | 15.5 million |
| 2020 | 10.9 million |
| 2019 | 7.3 million |
| 2018 | 4.8 million |
Source: Statista
- 7% of the digital nomads are from the United Kingdom.
The second highest number of digital nomads is from the United Kingdom.
Russia and Canada closely follow.
The following table displays the percentage of digital nomads that belong to different countries:
| Country | Percentage of digital nomads |
|---|---|
| United States | 47% |
| United Kingdom | 7% |
| Russia | 5% |
| Canada | 4% |
| Germany | 4% |
| France | 3% |
| Australia | 2% |
| Brazil | 2% |
| Netherlands | 2% |
Source: Statista
Digital Nomads Demographics
- Most of the digital nomads are in their 30s.
47% of the digital nomads are in their 30s. At the same time, 14% are in their 20s.
The following table displays the percentage of digital nomads that belong to different age groups.
| Age group | Percentage of digital nomads |
|---|---|
| 20s | 14% |
| 30s | 47% |
| 40s | 16% |
| 50s | 19% |
| 60s | 4% |
| 70s | 1% |
Source: Statista.
- Digital nomads are more probably to be men than women.
58% of the digital nomads are men. At the same time, 41% of the digital nomads are female.
On the other hand, 1% of digital nomads are transgender.
- Two-thirds (76%) of the digital nomads are white.
At the same time, 18% are found to be African American, 8% are Hispanic, and 4% of digital nomads are Asian.
Source: MBO partners.
- Almost half of the digital nomads are millennials.
Considering the exposure to technology and the experience gained in the industry over the past years, this number is no surprise.
Here is a further breakdown of the share of digital nomads that belong to different generations:
| Generation | Share of Digital Nomads |
|---|---|
| Gen Z | 17% |
| Millennials | 47% |
| Gen X | 23% |
| Baby Boomers | 13% |
Source: Statista.
- Over half of the digital nomads are non-religious.
Breaking down, 55% of the digital nomads said that they do not follow any religion. While the rest, 45% claim to be religious.
Here is a breakdown of the religion followed by 45% of the digital nomads.
| Religion | Share of religious digital nomads |
|---|---|
| Spirituality | 28% |
| Christians | 8% |
| Buddhists | 3% |
| Astrology | 2% |
| Islam | 2% |
| Judaism | 2% |
| Hindus | 1% |
| Sikhs | Less than 1% |
Digital Nomad Education
- 90% of the digital nomads have completed their higher education.
Besides, 54% of the digital nomads reported completing their bachelor’s degree.
Here is a total breakdown of the education levels that digital nomads have completed.
| Education level | Share of digital nomads |
| High school | 10% |
| Higher education | 90% |
| of which Bachelor’s | 54% |
| of which Master’s | 33% |
| of which PhD | 3% |
Digital Nomad lifestyle
- The digital nomad lifestyle has become more popular over the past years in the United States.
This can be seen from the number of residents of the US who have become keen on becoming digital nomads. Almost 87% of the respondents to a SafetyWing survey said they would like to adopt a digital nomad lifestyle.
The following table displays the number of Americans that were looking forward to becoming digital nomads:
| Year | Number of Americans |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 54 million |
| 2020 | 65 million |
| 2022 | 72 million |
Source: MBO insights.
- 51% of the digital nomads are homeowners.
On the other hand, 49% of the digital nomads stated that they do not own a house.
Source: Nomad list.
- 19% of the digital nomads said they had flexibility in choosing their place.
According to a survey by Statista, 22% of digital nomads reported flexibility in choosing how they spend their time.
13% of the digital nomads said they had the flexibility of choosing work location, while 12% said they save more time as they donot commute.
In the table, we have discussed the benefits that digital nomads have in their day-to-day lives:
| Benefit | Share of votes |
|---|---|
| Flexibility in schedule | 22% |
| Can live at any place without any worries | 19% |
| Flexible place of work | 13% |
| Saves time as they donot have to commute to work | 12% |
| Helps them save finances | 11% |
| Helps in better focusing on work | 8% |
| Can choose any career option | 4% |
| Feel safer | 3% |
| other | 1% |
Source: Statista.
- Nearly half of the digital nomad community stated that they stayed at a place for less than a week.
50% of digital nomads worldwide prefer to stay in one place for just a week or less.
At the same time, 32% of the digital nomads preferred to stay for one week to one month in one place.
14% of the nomads said that they can stay at a place for one to three months, while 7% said they stay for more than three months at one place.
- Most digital nomads men prefer Hiking.
Hiking is one of the most preferred activities of digital nomads. Fitness and Swimming closely follow it.
The following table displays the most preferred sports activity by digital nomads:
| Sport | % of nomad women | % of nomad men |
|---|---|---|
| Hiking | 52% | 49% |
| Yoga | 45% | 21% |
| Fitness | 40% | 47% |
| Swimming | 24% | 24% |
| Running | 21% | 29% |
| Cycling | 18% | 26% |
| Diving | 15% | 16% |
| Surfing | 15% | 18% |
| Climbing | 13% | 16% |
Which are the best countries for digital Nomads?
- Bangkok, Thailand, is the best place to work for a digital nomad.
Delhi, India, is the second best place for a digital nomad to work. This ranking is provided according to the Wi-Fi speed, number of workstations available, etc.
The following table displays the top cities that digital nomads can travel to for work.
| City | Country | Average Wi-Fi speed (mbps) | Number of co-working spaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangkok | Thailand | 28 | 117 |
| New Delhi | India | 12 | 165 |
| Lisbon | Portugal | 33 | 95 |
| Barcelona | Spain | 37 | 136 |
| Buenos Aires | Argentina | 17 | 67 |
| Budapest | Hungary | 37 | 40 |
| Mumbai | India | 23 | 152 |
| Istanbul | Turkey | 13 | 69 |
- The United States is the most visited country by digital nomads.
It accounted for 15% of the trips made by the digital nomads. At the same time, the second and the third most visited countries by digital nomads were Spain and Thailand.
The following table provides further information on the leading countries digital nomads visit:
| Country | Percentage of trips done by digital nomads |
|---|---|
| United States | 15% |
| Spain | 5% |
| Thailand | 5% |
| United Kingdom | 4% |
| Germany | 4% |
| Mexico | 4% |
| France | 3% |
| Italy | 3% |
| Portugal | 3% |
Source: Statista.
- London is the most visited city by digital nomads.
A 2.4% share of the trips done by digital nomads were in London. Bangkok and Thailand closely follow it, being the second and the third most visited cities worldwide.
The following table shows the percentage of trips digital nomads make to different cities worldwide:
| City | Country | Share of trips made by digital nomads |
|---|---|---|
| London | United Kingdom | 2.4% |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 1.94% |
| New York City | United States | 1.65% |
| Berlin | Germany | 1.6% |
| Paris | France | 1.55% |
| Lisbon | Portugal | 1.5% |
| Barcelona | Spain | 1.46% |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | 1.36% |
| San Francisco | United States | 1.27% |
Source: Statista.
- Cost of living and the quality of the internet is the crucial factor considered by over half of the digital nomads while selecting their location.
Safety comes second on the list, followed by access to the outdoors and nature.
The following table displays the factors that influence the decision of digital nomads while selecting their stay location.
| Factors | Share of digital nomads |
|---|---|
| Cost of living, speed, and accessibility of the internet | 56% |
| Safety (environmental safety and crime rate) | 15% |
| Access to nature and other outdoors | 11% |
| Digital Nomad-friendly visa situation | 9% |
| Cafe and co-working culture | 3% |
- Croatia is the most liked country by digital nomads.
Even though the US is the most visited country by digital nomads, most digital nomads prefer Croatia and Japan over other countries.
Here is a list of the most liked countries by digital nomads, along with the ratings they have received by digital nomads.
| Country | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Croatia | 4.9 |
| Japan | 4.9 |
| Taiwan | 4.85 |
| Morocco | 4.75 |
| Czechia | 4.75 |
| Finland | 4.7 |
| Australia | 4.7 |
| Netherlands | 4.7 |
| Russia | 4.7 |
| Cambodia | 4.7 |
- Barbados is the least-liked country by digital nomads.
Moldova and Chile also fall in the top three least-liked countries by digital nomads.
The following table displays the least liked countries by digital nomads and their ratings.
| Country | Ratings |
|---|---|
| Barbados | 3 |
| Moldova | 3 |
| Chile | 3.35 |
| Malta | 3.35 |
| Ireland | 3.35 |
| Albania | 3.45 |
| Laos | 3.55 |
| North Macedonia | 3.55 |
| Curaçao | 3.75 |
| Dominican Republic | 3.75 |
How much do digital nomads make? (Digital Nomad salary)
- Most of the digital nomads earn a salary between 50k – 250k US dollars.
34% of the people who work as digital nomads reported earning between 50k – 100k. At the same time, 6% of the digital nomads earn less than 25k dollars.
The following table provides the users with a detailed breakdown of the annual income earned by the digital nomads in dollars.
| Annual income | Share of digital nomads |
|---|---|
| Lesser than 25K | 6% |
| 25K to 50K | 15% |
| 50K to 100K | 34% |
| 100K to 250K | 36% |
| 250K to 1 million | 8% |
| Over 1 million | 2% |
- The average income for a digital nomad is $120,507 per year.
At the same time, the median salary of digital nomads is $85,000.
Best digital nomad jobs
- Digital marketing jobs are considered one of the best options for digital nomads.
Some top digital marketing jobs are SEO, content writing, copywriting, social media management, etc.
Did you know? The digital marketing industry is expected to grow with a CAGR of 17.6% between 2021 and 2026.
- Tech jobs like Software dev and Web devs are some of the best jobs that can offer excellent salaries to the digital nomad.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shift in the working environment of most IT professionals. Hence, most digital nomads now are from the IT industry and prefer to travel and code.
- With over 1.57 billion freelancers worldwide as of 2023, freelancing is one of the preferred ways of working by digital nomads.
Most preferred freelance jobs are freelance writing, web designing, and social media management.
- For more insights on freelance jobs and industry, check out our freelance statistics.
- 16% of the female Digital Nomads work in the field of marketing as of 2023.
At the same time, 13% were startup founders, and 16% reported that they worked in creative fields.
The following table displays the percentage of female digital nomads that work in different occupations worldwide.
| Occupation | Percentage of Female Digital Nomads |
|---|---|
| Marketing | 16% |
| Creative | 16% |
| Startup Founder | 13% |
| Software Dev | 10% |
| UI/UX Design | 9% |
| Blogging | 9% |
| Web Dev | 8% |
| Community | 8% |
| Education | 8% |
| Product Manager | 7% |
| Other | 27% |
Source: Statista.
- One-third of male digital nomads work as software dev.
29% of the digital nomads said they work as web devs, while 28% reported being startup founders.
The following table includes further details on the occupation of the male digital nomads.
| Occupation | Percentage of male digital nomads |
|---|---|
| Software Dev | 34% |
| Web Dev | 29% |
| Startup Founder | 28% |
| Marketing | 28% |
| SaaS | 15% |
| Creative | 13% |
| UI/UX Design | 13% |
| Product Manager | 12% |
| Crypto | 11% |
| Mobile Dev | 11% |
| Data | 11% |
| Others | 33% |
Source: Statista.
Countries with digital nomad visas
- Mexico offers a digital nomad visa for 12 months.
At the same time, Germany offers six months of visa duration to digital nomads.
The following table displays the duration of digital nomad visas offered by different countries.
| Country | Duration of Visa |
|---|---|
| Mexico | 12 months |
| Portugal | 12 months |
| Spain | 12 months |
| UAE (Dubai) | 12 months |
| Georgia | 12 months |
| Iceland | 6 months |
| Germany | 6 months |
| Croatia | 12 months |
| Czech Republic | 12 months |
| Estonia | 12 months |
- 19 countries in the European region give visas to digital nomads.
According to 2023, Europe is the region that offers the most digital nomad visas worldwide. The Caribbean region is second on the list.
The following table displays the region that provides digital nomad visas.
| Region | Number of countries |
|---|---|
| Europe | 19 |
| Caribbean | 11 |
| Central and South America | 5 |
| Africa | 4 |
| Asia | 4 |
Digital Nomad Work Statistic
- 70% of the digital nomads work 40 hours or less weekly.
Which equals to working 5.71 hours every day.
Source: FlexJobs.
- 83% of the digital nomads claim to be self-employed.
Out of these, 66% of the digital nomads are business owners, and 34% are freelancers or gig workers.
On the other hand, 17% of the digital nomads said that they are company-employed.
- 23% of digital nomads prefer to work from their homes or from the place where they are accommodated.
At the same time, digital nomad statistics reveal that 21% of digital nomads prefer co-working spaces.
On the other hand, 14% of the digital nomads prefer Cafes, while the rest prefer public libraries.
Effects of Covid on Digital Nomads
- 74.5% of the digital nomads reported that the pandemic was the main reason for becoming digital nomads.
This was due to the rise in the remote work during the covid-19 pandemic, which eventually led to an increase in the number of digital nomad worldwide. Post pandemic still many remote workers preferred to live their lives as digital nomads.
Challenges Faced By Digital Nomads
Digital nomads usually face issues like unstable connections, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, finding a comfortable workspace, and loneliness.
- Over half of the digital nomads could not find a reliable Wi-Fi connection.
52% of the digital nomads find it difficult to find a reliable and safe Wi-Fi connection for work and communication.
- 34% of the digital nomads said they were concerned for their safety.
- 29% of the digital nomads reported having issues communicating with their coworkers due to the differences in their time zones.
- 32% of the digital nomads reported feeling homesick and missing their family and friends.
- 25% of the digital nomads said they struggled to juggle work and other responsibilities.
At the same time, 25% of the digital nomads said they faced difficulty figuring out the travel logistics.
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FAQs
As of 2023, 58% of the digital nomads are men, while the rest, 41%, are female. The rest, 1% of the digital nomads, are transgender. Hence, the gender ratio for digital nomads is approximately 6:4.
The average age of digital nomads is 32 as of 2023. Most of these digital nomads start their journey at the age of 29 years. At the same time, some digital nomads started their journey in their teenage years.
The median income for a digital nomad is between $50,000 and $99,999. This income may vary for different ages and countries.
Just like other US professionals, digital nomads have to file a US tax return, even if they donot live in the United States. They may also have to pay taxes to the country where they reside.
70% of the digital nomads work for 40 hours a week. This is the average time most of the digital nomads prefer to work. On the other hand, 33% of the digital nomads reported working more than 40 hours a week.
A digital nomad residence permit gives a digital nomad the advantage of becoming a country resident. If the person meets all the requirements, they get qualified to get citizenship of the country after five years of their stay there.
