2023 Report

Demographics

A young, diverse workforce concentrated in Singapore, with near-equal gender representation and a strong urban skew.

Published June 1, 2023 · Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam

Demographics

Geographic distribution

The inaugural 2023 survey reached designers across 10 countries. Respondents by market:

  • Singapore: 224 (69.4%)
  • Malaysia: 46 (14.2%)
  • Indonesia: 29 (8.9%)
  • Philippines: 8 (2.5%)
  • Vietnam: 7 (2.2%)
  • Thailand: 3 (0.9%)
  • Six others: Taiwan, India, Romania, and Japan

Singapore accounts for most responses. Eight designers came from the Philippines, too few to clear the ten-response reporting floor, so median pay and rate figures for that market alone aren't published.

Chart proof

Respondent distribution by country

Singapore supplies most of this sample. Read market-by-market comparisons elsewhere in the report with that concentration in mind.

View data table
CountryRespondentsShare (%)
Singapore 22469.4
Malaysia 4614.2
Indonesia 298.9
Philippines 82.5
Vietnam 72.2
Thailand 30.9
Others 61.9

Gender distribution

Small numbers of respondents identified as non-binary or preferred not to state; the remainder split 54.5% women to 43.9% men. That balance was a deliberate outcome of distribution strategy and community partnerships, and it supported the gender pay gap analysis that anchors this report.

Chart proof

Gender distribution

A near-even split by gender is the deliberate balance behind this report's gender pay-gap analysis.

View data table
GenderRespondentsShare (%)
Women 17654.5
Men 14243.9
Non-binary 20.6
Prefer not to state 20.6

Age profile

The workforce skews young, with the 25–30 bracket alone accounting for 43% of respondents. Across all groups under 35, women outnumbered men. Above 36, the pattern shifts, with men dominating each older bracket.

Chart proof

Age distribution

Respondents by age group (N=323, all markets)

View data table
Age groupShare
18–24 16.4%
25–30 43.0%
31–35 25.4%
36–40 9.9%
41–45 3.1%
46–50 1.5%

Where this sits in the conversation

  1. Overview

    2023 report
  2. Landscape

    Demographics you are here
  3. Landscape

    Roles and experience
  4. Landscape

    Compensation
  5. Landscape

    Company landscape
  6. Sentiments

    Sentiments: negotiations and pay
  7. Sentiments

    Sentiments: work setup
  8. Sentiments

    Sentiments: career progression
  9. Singapore deep dive

    Analysis: gender 🇸🇬
  10. Singapore deep dive

    Analysis: experience 🇸🇬
  11. Singapore deep dive

    Analysis: company 🇸🇬
  12. Singapore deep dive

    Analysis: education 🇸🇬
  13. Close

    The first count