Thailand has the largest freelancer gender pay gap of any country with sufficient data for analysis, according to a new global study. Women freelancing in Thailand charge an average of US$30.68 (approximately 1,080 baht) per hour, compared to US$63.57 (approximately 2,240 baht) for men. That is a gap of 51.7%, the widest recorded across the 54 countries covered in the research.
The findings come from the Global Freelancer Pay Gap Report by Remitly for Freelancers, which analysed hourly rates from 58,261 freelancers across major work categories on Upwork. The methodology used name-based gender inference with a confidence threshold of 90%, meaning each determination reflects the most likely gender associated with a freelancer’s profile rather than their personal identification.
A gap that stands out even globally
The global average freelancer pay gap sits at 19%, with women charging US$31.33 per hour against men’s US$38.66. Thailand’s 51.7% disparity is nearly three times that figure, placing it well ahead of the second-ranked country, Hungary, at 45%, and Bangladesh at 42%.
Four of the ten countries with the largest freelancer pay gaps are in Asia. Malaysia sits fourth on the list at 40.2%, Sri Lanka sixth at 34.4%, and Indonesia fourteenth at 27%. Japan records a gap of 26%. The pattern across the region suggests something structural rather than incidental, though the report does not offer a country-specific explanation for Thailand’s position at the top of the table.
In web design, the disparity within Thailand is even sharper. Female web designers in Thailand charge 60.6% less than their male counterparts, the largest role-specific gap recorded for the country in the study.
Where Thailand sits in the wider picture
Countries more commonly associated with gender equality debates tell a different story in the freelance economy. Australia records a gap of 17.8%, the United States 16.9%, Canada 16.2%, and the United Kingdom 15.4%. France sits at 10%, Germany at 11.2%. Vietnam, Thailand’s regional neighbour, records one of the smallest gaps in the entire dataset at 4.1%.
The report notes that freelance pay patterns do not closely mirror those seen in traditional employment. When the researchers compared their findings against OECD median earnings data, there was very little overlap in country rankings, with only Colombia, France, and Sweden appearing among the lowest-disparity countries in both datasets. Danielle Treharne, VP and GM EMEA and APAC at Remitly, noted that closing these earnings gaps may require different solutions than those applied to traditional employment.
Why it matters for Thailand’s freelance and remote work scene
Thailand has spent several years building a credible case as one of Southeast Asia’s most attractive bases for remote workers. Chiang Mai was recently named among the world’s top eight digital nomad destinations by Forbes, and Bangkok continues to draw location-independent professionals with its infrastructure, cost of living, and quality of life. The DTV, Thailand’s five-year digital nomad visa, gave remote workers a formal long-term pathway into the country, cementing that positioning further.
That growing freelance population makes the pay gap data more than a statistical curiosity. For women freelancers working within or from Thailand, whether Thai nationals or expats building an independent income while based here, the numbers raise a direct question about how rates are being set and whether those rates reflect actual market value.
The opaque nature of freelance hiring, where rates are often negotiated privately and there is no institutional structure enforcing pay equity, creates conditions where underpricing can go unchallenged for years. The Finance and Accounting category carries the largest gap globally at 26.1%, followed by Admin and Support at 23.6%. In AI Services, the gap exceeds 20% across seven of the eleven roles studied.
What the data does not explain
The report is careful about what it can and cannot tell us. The gender gap in freelance rates reflects what freelancers charge, not necessarily what they are paid or offered. The gap could reflect differences in experience levels, years on the platform, types of clients targeted, or the categories in which women are more heavily represented. It could also reflect internalised undervaluation of one’s own work, a pattern that research on women in self-employment has identified across multiple markets.
What the data does confirm is that the gender pay gap exists at a scale in Thailand that has no equivalent anywhere else in the study. Remitly suggests that freelancers reassess their pricing against market data, and points to communities of self-employed women sharing transparent rate information as one practical step toward narrowing the gap.
Source: Remitly Global Freelancer Pay Gap Report, data correct as of May 2026. This report is not affiliated with or endorsed by Upwork.
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