If they were gathered in one country, they would be ranked 41st overall after Canada and Morocco, while taking gross national income per capita as a reference, they would be ranked 38th, behind Portugal and Saudi Arabia. These are two of the many statistics concerning digital nomads, who live scattered all over the world because they work remotely and can thus choose to travel, change countries and continents, being able to work wherever and whenever they wish.
The two figures come fromThe Global Digital Nomad study, an extensive survey on digital nomads carried out by A Brother Abroad, a site that published it in September last year and then updated it several times, most recently in recent days. In order to obtain detailed information, the site interviewed hundreds of digital nomads and processed around 4000 survey responses prepared for the occasion, as well as considering external sources such as worldmeter.info, Worldbank.org and MBO Partners State of Independence.
Before revealing more interesting numbers and trends of an ever-expanding community, it should be noted that it is quite complex to quantify the exact number of digital nomads scattered around the world. While some data should, therefore, not be taken as absolute truths, they are at the same time useful in outlining trends concerning digital nomads.
Who are digital nomads, how many are there, and how much do they earn?
There are more than 35 million digital nomads, and they generate a turnover of $787 billion per year, understood as the total expenditure for living in their respective countries. For the number of crunchers, the precise amount is estimated at $787,749,385,859. Although the range is extremely varied, the average annual budget of the digital nomad is $22,500, slightly less than the average yearly budget of the citizens of Saudi Arabia ($22,840).
While there have been those who have claimed to earn more than $1 million in twelve months, this average figure needs to consider any savings already in the bank account and money invested in their business to increase work and customers. The average monthly income of digital nomads is around $1,875, which is higher than the average income of the top five countries preferred by digital nomads.
Gender, origin, age and education
Considering gender, the digital nomad community is split almost perfectly in half between men and women: 50.19% males and 49.81% females. The overwhelming majority are whites of European origin (76%), with Hispanics in second place (10%), narrowly edging out Asians (8%), while in last place are Africans (6%). Clear dominance also when looking at nationality, with almost a third of digital nomads coming from the United States (31%), followed by Portugal (8%), Germany (7%) and Brazil (5%).
Adding these four nationalities together gives more than half of the entire digital nomad community (51%), with the remaining 49% representing 35 different countries. To complete the first part of the digital nomad identikit, age is missing: almost half are over 30, the average age is around 40, and the three most common ages are 29, 33 and 39. More than 60% started travelling at the age of 20, while 39% do so after turning 30 or older and have been travelling for an average of over six years. The oldest nomad who participated in the A Brother Abroad study was 72.
Curiously, 2 out of 100 digital nomads came to the phenomenon during their military service. In terms of education, more than half said they were self-taught (53%), with 45% of the sample giving credit to schooling (colleges, universities and vocational schools) instead. More than one in four did not obtain a university degree (26%), whereas 37% did, with only 7.4% getting a doctorate or master’s degree.
What do digital nomads do, where do they work, and how long do they stay in a country?
But what do digital nomads do? Two out of three have a business, while 34% work as freelancers or gig workers. The sectors with the most employees are marketing, computer sciences/IT, design, writing and e-commerce, which account for 51% of the sample. There is also a 14% that encompasses a range of professions and sectors unusual for the digital nomad, such as engineering, law, architecture and medicine.
Almost a third of digital nomads have been travelling for up to two years, the same percentage as those who have yet to stop after ten years of travelling (30%). The peculiarity of digital nomads is that they can work anywhere because they need few tools, yet it is more challenging than it seems. Most prefer to stay in one place for 3 to 6 months (66%), a percentage that increases when considering the 3-9 month time window (80%). While staying abroad, 23% still work from their home or accommodation, 21% prefer a coworking space and 14% stay in a café. On the other hand, six out of a hundred seek out a public library for inspiration.
This is crucial for the community because almost all digital nomads are inclined to pay to secure accommodation equipped for working (i.e. with a fast and reliable internet connection, desk, work table, and power sockets). An important note to consider is that the vast majority need to work at least once to twice a week in environments where they meet others for mental and social health issues.
Which countries are preferred and why?
At this point, curiosity drives one to the favourite countries of digital nomads. Granted that a large part of the community analyses the cost of living, crime rate, environmental safety, natural aspects and tailor-made visas before choosing where to go, Mexico hosts the highest number of remote workers (14%). Following close behind are Thailand (12%), Indonesia (9%), Colombia, Vietnam and Portugal, the top European countries. Rounding out the top ten are Turkey, Costa Rica, Brazil and the Philippines. At the same time, other locations attracting digital nomads are Southern Italy, South Africa, Croatia, Egypt, Ecuador, Spain, Southern India, Nicaragua, Cambodia and Bulgaria.
It should be noted that 9 out of the 10 most popular countries have a sea outlet, international airports and a lower gross national income per capita than the average earnings of digital nomads. The best region to work while enjoying the local beauty and cost of living is South-East Asia (34%), with Central America (16%) and South America (13%) rounding out the podium.
