Thailand Leads Global Freelancer Gender Pay Gap with Women Earning 51.7% Less

Thailand currently holds the distinction of having the largest freelancer gender pay gap globally among countries with sufficient data for analysis, according to a recent worldwide study. The 'Global Freelancer Pay Gap Report' by Remitly for Freelancers reveals that women freelancing in Thailand charge an average of US$30.68 (approximately 1,080 baht) per hour, significantly less than the US$63.57 (approximately 2,240 baht) charged by men. This constitutes a staggering 51.7% disparity, marking it as the widest gap recorded across the 54 nations included in the research. The report's findings are based on an analysis of hourly rates from 58,261 freelancers across various major work categories on the Upwork platform. The methodology employed name-based gender inference with a 90% confidence threshold, indicating that each gender determination reflects the most probable gender associated with a freelancer's profile rather than their self-identified gender. Globally, the average freelancer pay gap stands at 19%, with women earning US$31.33 per hour compared to men's US$38.66. Thailand's substantial 51.7% discrepancy is nearly three times this global average, placing it well ahead of the second-ranked country, Hungary, at 45%, and Bangladesh at 42%. Notably, four of the top ten countries with the largest freelancer pay gaps are located in Asia. Malaysia ranks fourth with a 40.2% gap, Sri Lanka sixth at 34.4%, and Indonesia fourteenth at 27%. Japan also records a significant gap of 26%. This consistent pattern across the region suggests a structural rather than incidental issue, although the report does not offer specific country-level explanations for Thailand's leading position. The disparity within Thailand is even more pronounced in specific fields, such as web design. Female web designers in Thailand charge 60.6% less than their male counterparts, representing the largest role-specific gap identified for the country in this study.