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60+ Essential Upwork Statistics in 2025 Client Data, Financial Insights & Market Trends

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Daniel Nic

Upwork stands as the premier freelancing marketplace worldwide, bridging businesses with exceptional talent across the globe. Since its debut in 2015, the platform has experienced remarkable expansion.

Currently, Upwork facilitates connections between more than 750,000 active clients and millions of freelancers, who collectively generated $3.5 billion in gross services volume (GSV) in 2021.

The platform continues to flourish by nurturing a marketplace abundant with highly qualified freelancers and numerous prestigious employers.

For anyone interested in understanding the gig economy, freelance work, or hiring practices, these 60+ Upwork statistics provide essential insights.

 

Upwork Statistics Highlights

  • Upwork maintained 793,000 active clients during 2021.
  • The platform achieved a total gross services volume of $3.5 billion in 2021.
  • Freelancers earn an average talent GSV of $5,850.
  • The United States, India, and the Philippines represent the primary talent regions for Upwork, contributing 25%, 14%, and 11% to the GSV respectively.
  • Upwork’s revenue more than doubled from $202.3 million in 2017 to $503 million in 2021.
  • The Upwork website attracts over 40 million monthly visitors.

Upwork Client Statistics

Clients represent individuals or businesses that publish job opportunities on Upwork. The platform has witnessed consistent growth in new client acquisition since 2019.

  1. As of March 31st, 2022, Upwork reported 793,000 active clients. According to Upwork’s definition, an Active Client refers to a client that has demonstrated “spending activity” on the marketplace within the previous 12 months.
  2. Upwork experienced an increase of 281,000 active clients between Q1 2019 and Q1 2022.
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Active client growth on Upwork platform
  1. The average Upwork client operates with a workforce of 10 to 100 employees and generates annual revenue between 1 and 10 million dollars.
  2. The majority of clients are headquartered in the United States and run businesses within the services or information technology sectors.
  3. A substantial 40% of clients recruit talent across multiple categories. These categories encompass fields such as Accounting & Finance, Translation, and Marketing.
  4. Upwork currently serves more than 300 Enterprise Clients through its platform.
  5. The platform has welcomed 125 new Enterprise Clients who have enrolled in the service during the past year.

Upwork Gross Services Volume

The gross services volume (GSV) metric provides a comprehensive overview of the total value of freelance work completed through the platform. This consistent volume growth indicates expanding opportunities for freelancers to discover and fulfill job assignments.

  1. Upwork witnessed an impressive 150% increase in total annual GSV between 2017 and 2021.
  2. The platform recorded a total GSV of $3.5 billion for 2021, representing a $1 billion increase compared to 2020.
Upwork gross services volume (GSV)
  1. During 2021, US-based clients generated 66% of the total GSV on the platform.
  2. The percentage of GSV contributed by US clients has remained remarkably consistent from 2017 to 2021, fluctuating only slightly between 66-68%.
YearAnnual Total GSVUS Clients’ Contribution
2017$1.4 Billion67%
2018$1.8 Billion66%
2019$2.1 Billion68%
2020$2.5 Billion67%
2021$3.5 Billion66%
Upwork GSV and US Clients’ Contribution
  1. No single country outside the US contributes more than 10% to the annual GSV total.

Gross Services Volume Per Active Client

GSV encompasses client expenditures along with additional costs such as client fees, subscriptions, and talent service charges, making GSV per active client a valuable metric for deeper understanding of the company’s performance.
  1. Data from Q1 2022 reveals that the typical active client generates a GSV of $4,742.
  2. Upwork recorded a significant 19.89% growth in GSV per Active Client between Q1 2019 and Q1 2022.
  3. The platform experienced its first decline in GSV per active client during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic—specifically between Q2 and Q3 of 2020. However, each quarter since then has shown consistent GSV increases.
DateGSV Per Active Client
Q1-2019$3,592
Q2-2019$3,677
Q3-2019$3,757
Q4-2019$3,864
Q1-2020$3,932
Q2-2020$3,897
Q3-2020$3,896
Q4-2020$3,989
Q1-2021$4,016
Q2-2021$4,189
Q3-2021$4,375
Q4-2021$4,599
Q1-2022$4,742
Upwork GSV per active client

Upwork Client Fees

Beyond freelancer payments, Upwork generates revenue from clients through transaction fees, subscription plans, and payment protection services.
  1. Clients face a standard 5% processing fee per transaction. US-based clients utilizing ACH payments benefit from a reduced rate of 3%.

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Upwork Freelancer Statistics

Freelancers form the essential foundation of Upwork. Their presence drives clients to post opportunities and utilize the platform. Understanding freelancer statistics helps identify lucrative skills and determine whether Upwork presents the right opportunity for your career path.
  1. Upwork reported 2,164,174 registered freelancers on the platform in 2019. Obtaining current figures for 2025 remains challenging as Upwork no longer publishes the total freelancer count.
  2. Between February and March 2020, Upwork removed approximately 1.8 million registered users. This reduction likely stemmed from account dormancy, suspicious activities, or substandard performance records.
  3. Only 1 in 800 freelancers on Upwork earns more than $1000 monthly.
  4. The platform connects clients and freelancers across more than 180 countries worldwide.
  5. Freelancers on Upwork generate an average talent GSV of $5,850.
  6. US-based freelancers contributed 25% of the total $3.5 billion GSV in 2021, amounting to over $870 million.
  7. From 2018 to present day, India and the Philippines consistently rank as the 2nd and 3rd largest talent pools measured by GSV contribution.
Upwork top talent geographies
  1. Throughout the previous five-year period, talent based in the United States consistently generated between 19% and 27% of the Global Service Value.
  2. The proportion of total Global Service Value produced by US-based contributors has grown by 6% from 2018 to 2021.
YearUS-based Talent’s GSV Contribution
201719%
201823%
201927%
202025%
202125%
Contribution of US-based talent to GSV
  1. Upwork implements a sliding service fee ranging from 5-20%, which is automatically deducted from the payment amounts freelancers receive.
EarningsUpwork Service Fee
$0-$50020%
$500.01-$10,00010%
$10,000.01 or more5%
Upwork service fee
Upwork assigns recognition badges to freelancers to assist clients in identifying the ideal candidate. Each designation has specific qualification criteria and delivers distinct advantages for the service provider. Securing these badges helps professionals distinguish themselves, significantly increasing their chances of securing projects. The platform offers four distinct badges: Top Rated, Top Rated Plus, Expert Vetted, and Rising Talent. These credentials are granted based on multiple performance indicators, including revenue generation, client satisfaction metrics, and other relevant factors.
  1. Top Rated professionals constitute the elite 10% of talent available on the Upwork marketplace.
  2. Top Rated Plus remains the most coveted designation as it lowers Upwork service charges by at least 10% for qualified freelancers.

Upwork Skills and Categories

Upwork showcases an extensive array of specializations and professional categories throughout its platform, enabling clients to connect with freelancers possessing the necessary expertise. Below are several notable Upwork skill and category metrics.
  1. The Upwork platform currently organizes talent into 90 distinct categories, each demanding unique abilities and specialized knowledge.
  2. Media buyers command the premium hourly rates, typically ranging from $50 to $200. These professionals oversee advertising initiatives, determining optimal ad placement strategies and creative direction for campaigns.
  3. Business consultants typically earn between $28 to $98 hourly. The core function of business consultants involves providing specialized guidance to clients facing particular challenges within their operations.
  4. Programming professionals charge anywhere from $15 to $150 per hour depending on expertise level.
  5. According to 2025 data, Objective-C ranked as the highest-compensated programming language on Upwork, with freelancers earning approximately $66 hourly on average.
Job/SkillHourly Pay
Copywriter$19 – $45
Web designer$15 – $30+
Digital marketing consultant$15 – $45
Social media manager$14 – $35
Editor$20 – $40
Web developer$10 – $30+
Media buyer$50 – $200
Photographer$40 – $100
Data analyst$20 – $50
Business consultant$28 – $98
Programmer$15 – $30
Videographer$15 – $30
Accountant$12 – $32
Virtual assistant$12 – $20
Public relations manager$50 – $100
Hourly rates for jobs/skills on Upwork
  1. The platform’s workforce demonstrates exceptional educational qualifications, with nearly three-quarters (73%) of professionals holding university degrees.
  2. Freelancers can select from more than 10,000 skill designations to enhance their profiles—enabling clients to efficiently locate specialists with precise capabilities matching their project needs. These skills span diverse areas like pay-per-click advertising, eCommerce development, C++ programming, and financial accounting services.

Upwork Revenue and Financials

As a NASDAQ-listed enterprise, Upwork maintains exceptional transparency in its operations. Complete visibility into its economic performance and fiscal documentation is readily accessible. Below are several noteworthy financial insights.
  1. The organization experienced remarkable growth between 2017 and 2021, with overall revenue expanding by 248%, advancing from $202.3 million to $503 million.
Upwork Annual Revenue
  1. Upwork projects its 2022 revenue will reach $625 million; financial experts anticipate this figure climbing beyond $700 million by 2023.
  2. Throughout the previous five-year period, Upwork has operated at a financial deficit, recording average annual losses of approximately $25.3 million.
  3. Financial specialists anticipate Upwork will achieve profitability in 2025, generating positive earnings of $1.4 million.
  4. The company experienced its most significant financial shortfall in 2021, reporting a deficit of $56.24 million.
YearNet Income (or Loss)
2017($10.6) million
2018($19.9) million
2019($16.7) million
2020($22.9) million
2021($56.24) million
Upwork revenue and profit over time
  1. Service charges collected from freelancers constitute the primary source of Upwork’s marketplace income.
  2. During 2021, the Managed Services division represented 7.96% of the company’s overall revenue stream. This arrangement occurs when Upwork directly employs freelance professionals to fulfill client projects. The company oversees the entire engagement process and retains a portion of the contract value.
  3. In the first quarter of 2022, Upwork generated $10.8 million from its corporate Enterprise Client partnerships.
  4. The platform has successfully expanded its Enterprise Client revenue by $6.7 million during the past twenty-four months.
DateEnterprise Client Revenue
Q1-2020$4.1 million
Q2-2020$4.3 million
Q3-2020$5.2 million
Q4-2020$6.4 million
Q1-2021$7 million
Q2-2021$8.5 million
Q3-2021$8.9 million
Q4-2021$10.5 million
Q1-2022$10.8 million
Upwork enterprise client revenue
  1. The Upwork marketplace commission rate decreased to 13.2% in 2021 from 13.6% in 2020. This metric is derived by dividing the platform’s marketplace revenue by the total Global Service Value.

Upwork Website and App Statistics

As expected, the Upwork platform generates substantial online traffic and achieves impressive monthly application download figures. Here are several carefully selected website and application performance metrics.
  1. The platform attracts an impressive 40.8 million monthly website visitors according to current estimates.
  2. In worldwide rankings, Upwork holds position 918 among the internet’s most frequented websites. Within the United States specifically, it currently stands at position 987.
  3. The website demonstrates exceptional user engagement metrics with a remarkably low bounce rate of 25.52%, while visitors typically explore 8.63 pages per session. These performance indicators strongly suggest users find the platform highly valuable and interactive.
Upwork platform visitor demographics (Source: Similarweb)
  1. Within the Other Computers Electronics and Technology category, Upwork secures the 29th position among all websites.
  2. The user demographic reveals a gender imbalance with male professionals comprising 61.42% of users, while female users account for 38.58% of the platform’s audience.
  3. The platform experiences peak traffic from professionals aged 25-34 years (37.63%), followed by younger users aged 18-24 who represent 23.88% of total visitors.
Upwork website visitors’ age distribution (Source: Similarweb)

Upwork provides two distinct mobile applications, offering separate interfaces for freelancers and clients. Both applications are readily available on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.

The freelancer application enables professionals to explore available opportunities, submit project proposals, deliver completed work, and receive compensation. Conversely, the client application facilitates browsing professional profiles, managing job listings, reviewing submitted proposals, and processing payments to service providers.

  1. The Upwork for Freelancers application demonstrates significantly higher adoption rates on Android devices. During April 2022, this application achieved 200,000 installations on Google Play, more than double the 90,000 downloads recorded on Apple’s App Store.
  2. The Upwork for Clients application shows balanced popularity across both mobile platforms. April 2022 data indicates identical performance with 20,000 monthly installations on each respective marketplace.
The platform additionally offers a desktop application designed to serve both clients and freelancers. Professionals working under hourly agreements can utilize this tool to document their time, providing enhanced payment security. Client users primarily leverage the application for project collaboration and direct communication channels.

Miscellaneous Statistics

This compilation presents the most noteworthy supplementary statistics and insights regarding Upwork alongside general freelance industry metrics.

  1. As of December 2021, Upwork maintained a workforce of 650 employees. The company’s staffing levels increased by 20% between December 2020 and December 2021.
  2. During the period between December 2019 and December 2020, the organization experienced a reduction of 30 staff members, with employee numbers declining from 570 to 540.
DateNumber of Employees
December 2018430
December 2019570
December 2020540
December 2021650
Number of Upwork employees
  1. Upwork employees receive a median compensation package of $192,785 annually, equivalent to approximately $92 per hour.
  2. As an employer, Upwork maintains an impressive 4.2-star rating out of a possible 5 stars.
  3. A substantial majority of Upwork staff members—81% specifically—characterize their workplace environment as positive.
Source: Glassdoor employee satisfaction data
  1. Upwork emerged in 2013 through the strategic combination of two established freelance marketplaces, Elance and oDesk. The organization operated under the name Elance-oDesk from 2013 until 2015. The Upwork brand was officially established in 2015, coinciding with the discontinuation of the Elance platform.
  2. As of June 2022, the company has successfully registered four distinct patents protecting its intellectual property.
  3. Current global estimates indicate approximately 225 million individuals engage in freelance professional activities worldwide.
  4. Within the United States specifically, the freelance workforce comprises 59 million professionals.
  5. Independent professionals contributed a substantial $1.3 trillion to the American economy during 2021.
  6. An overwhelming majority of freelancers—9 out of 10—express optimistic sentiments regarding the future of freelancing, believing that “the best days are ahead” for independent work.

Upwork has established itself as the preeminent and most comprehensive online marketplace for independent professionals. This dominant position results from successfully attracting millions of skilled freelancers alongside hundreds of thousands of actively engaged clients.

With its consistently expanding revenue trajectory and anticipated profitability, Upwork appears positioned to maintain its leadership in the digital freelance marketplace sector.
This compilation represents our comprehensive overview of the most significant Upwork performance metrics for 2025.

Should you identify additional statistics worthy of inclusion or require further elaboration on any points covered, please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clients are there on Upwork?
 

Sources

  1. Upwork Investors
  2. Enlyft
  3. Upwork Support
  4. Upwork Community 
  5. Business of Business
  6. Ebizfacts
  7. Upwork Blog
  8. Seeking Alpha
  9. Yahoo Finance
  1. Macrotrends
  2. Similarweb
  3. SensorTower
  4. Comparably
  5. Glassdoor
  6. Wikipedia
  7. CB Insights
  8. Upwork Study

About The Author

Daniel Nic

Daniel NicFounder, SellingOnliceCoursesGuide.comis an entrepreneur and digital education specialist who founded sellingonlinecoursesguide.com, a platform dedicated to helping creators and educators successfully navigate the online course marketplace. Through his website, he shares insights and strategies for developing, marketing, and monetizing online educational content. His work focuses on empowering course creators to build sustainable online businesses while effectively sharing their knowledge with students worldwide.

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Daniel Nic

Daniel Nic is an entrepreneur and digital education specialist who founded sellingonlinecoursesguide.com, a platform dedicated to helping creators and educators successfully navigate the online course marketplace. Through his website, he shares insights and strategies for developing, marketing, and monetizing online educational content. His work focuses on empowering course creators to build sustainable online businesses while effectively sharing their knowledge with students worldwide.

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