Talented software engineers live all over the globe. According to an Evans Data Corporation Study, there are nearly 27 million international software developers, most of whom can write code anywhere with an internet connection—no matter where an employer is headquartered.
This means companies in North America and elsewhere can venture beyond their local talent pools to hire remote developers abroad. The global software engineer market can offer competitive costs, round-the-clock time zone coverage, and coding expertise across multiple programming languages. Such perks are why the international IT outsourcing market is projected to reach nearly $400 billion by 2025.
But you can’t source tech talent everywhere. Some countries stand above the rest in recruiting software engineers. Follow along as we’ll highlight the top countries to find your next software engineer for your development team—and why.
The top 10 best countries to hire software engineers
1. India
India is one of the world’s leading outsourcers of IT workers, with a 62% market share in the US. Its software market is projected to grow at a rate of more than 11% through 2028. And according to a Gild study, Indian programmers outscored American programmers on math and logic assessments by 11%.
Anglophone companies that source programming talent from India seldom face a language barrier, as it’s the second-largest English-speaking country. IT services in India are a fifth of the cost of those in the US due to the lower cost of living for Indian developers.
- Average software engineer salary: INR 2,151,981 or USD 26,108
- Time zones: IST, UTC+5:30
- Top programming languages: Java, C++, Python
2. Ukraine
Ukraine’s tech industry is growing by up to 30,000 experts per year. The educated Ukrainian workforce boasts 285,000 IT pros, many of whom have experience as both front-end and back-end developers. According to HackerRank, Ukrainian developers excel in coding competitions centered around security.
Ukraine also consistently tops global rankings in C++ programming knowledge. Its time zone also aligns well with other European countries and the North American east coast.
- Average software engineer salary: UAH 2,125,878 or USD 57,600
- Time zones: EET, UTC+3:00
- Top programming languages: C++, Ruby, JavaScript
3. Brazil
The $46 billion Brazilian IT market takes up a 40% market share in Latin America. It has a burgeoning tech sector with more than half a million software developers. Brazil has a young workforce relative to other countries and is home to world-class computer science education programs.
- Average software engineer salary: BRL 177,069 or USD 36,288
- Time zones: ACT, UTC-5:00; AMT, UTC-4:00; BRT, UTC-3:00; FNT, UTC-2:00
- Top programming languages: Java, Python, SQL
4. Poland
Polish programmers rank first in assessments of Java proficiency, according to HackerRank. The Eastern European country is home to more than 430,000 software developers—making up 8% of its GDP. Like Ukraine, Poland’s time zone makes it easy for its developers to work for clients across Europe. About a third of the population speaks English as a second language, making the Polish programming community an attractive recruiting hub for the US, UK, Canada, and other English-speaking countries.
- Average software engineer salary: PLN 227,767 or USD 55,137
- Time zones: CET, UTC+1:00
- Top programming languages: Java, SQL, Python
5. Canada
Toronto, Canada’s largest city, experienced one of the biggest tech expansions in North America over the last decade, adding nearly 90,000 tech jobs between 2016 and 2021, in large part due to its higher education system. In 2018, more than 1 in 5 Canadian university students graduated with a STEM degree. And according to the Computing Technology Industry Association, net tech employment in the country as a whole reached more than 1.2 million workers.
US-based hiring managers can bank on English proficiency with Canadian workers, who also often work with minimal time zone differences between American tech companies. Web development costs can also be lower than within the US because of competitive exchange rates.
- Average software engineer salary: CAD 127,576 or USD 95,174
- Time zones: PT, UTC-7:00; MT, UTC-6:00; CT, UTC-5:00; ET, UTC-4:00; AT, UTC-3:00
- Top programming languages: Java, Python, C#
6. The Philippines
The Philippines is a premier tech outsourcing destination for its cost-effectiveness, English proficiency, and growing software market. The country has a $3.2 billion IT industry made up of 190,000 programmers, according to the Philippine Software Industry Association. The Philippine IT market is known for its expertise in cloud solutions, social media integration, and cybersecurity. While far from the US and Western Europe, The Philippines is also conveniently located for remote team collaboration with clients in Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Southeast Asia.
- Average software engineer salary: PHP 1,157,126 or USD 20,658
- Time zones: PHT, UTC+8:00
- Top programming languages: PHP, ASP.NET, Ruby on Rails
7. Argentina
Argentina has a young, bilingual workforce and high-quality public universities. The country has a 110,000-person IT industry growing by as much as 20% annually, and cities such as Cordoba and Buenos Aires consistently rank among the world’s best outsourcing destinations. The government provides tax incentives and other benefits to software development companies with a presence in Argentina.
- Average software engineer salary: ARS 8,738,316 or USD 35,725
- Time zones: ART, UTC-3:00
- Top programming languages: Java, Python, SQL
8. Mexico
Mexican IT companies reached almost $13 billion in revenue in 2020. Mexico’s proximity to Silicon Valley makes it a popular “nearshoring” hub, home to more than 225,000 software developers and hundreds of tech startups. The country is also home to 120 tuition-free universities specializing in STEM education, has public grant programs encouraging entrepreneurship in tech, and is home to more than 20 tech parks spread across major cities, including Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Mexico specializes in offshore software development for enterprises, system infrastructure, and apps (both web and mobile).
- Average software engineer salary: MXN 704,938 or USD 40,791
- Time zones: PT, UTC-7:00; MT, UTC-6:00; CT, UTC-5:00
- Top programming languages: Java, Python, SQL
9. The Czech Republic
The Czech Republic has a relatively low corporate tax rate set at 19%, encouraging investment in its growing tech sector of about 130,000 software developers. As a member of the EU, the Czech Republic is compliant with data protection laws across much of Europe, and there are minimal cultural differences to account for when collaborating across the continent.
Czech coders got 9th place in the World Programming Olympiad and the city of Brno, its largest tech hub, graduates more than 15,000 STEM students every year. Look for IT outsourcing for mobile app development and custom software.
- Average software engineer salary: CZK 1,219,823 or USD 55,344
- Time zones: CET, UTC+1:00
- Top programming languages: Java, PHP, C
10. Romania
Romanian developers fare well in HackerRank programming tests and its IT services sector is growing at 13.4% annually, making it an attractive outsourcing destination in Eastern Europe. Its public tech universities churn out 8,500 new IT professionals annually, many of whom are proficient in English, French, and Hungarian. Foreign tech investment has grown fourfold over the past decade. Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, accounts for about two-thirds of its market revenue.
- Average software engineer salary: RON 175,221 or USD 38,000
- Time zones: EET, UTC+3:00
- Top programming languages: JavaScript, NodeJS, .NET
*Note: Salary data is gathered from levels.fyi. Exact values vary depending on updated currency exchange rates, seniority levels, and geographical location within each country.
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