While the technology we build shapes the future for everyone, the startling reality is that the industry creating it remains overwhelmingly homogeneous, with women holding just 28% of tech jobs in the US and Black founders receiving a mere 1% of venture capital funding.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, women held only 28% of tech jobs in the US, compared to 47% of the overall workforce
- Globally, women make up 26% of the AI workforce according to a 2023 Stanford study
- In Silicon Valley, women comprise 33% of tech employees at top companies as of 2022
- Black workers comprise 7.4% of tech professionals in the US as of 2022 EEOC data
- Hispanics/Latinos hold 9% of tech jobs despite 18% US population in 2023 BLS
- Asian Americans are 40% of Silicon Valley tech workforce but 6% US pop per 2022 Joint Venture
- LGBTQ+ individuals comprise 11% of US tech workforce per 2023 LinkedIn data
- Openly gay men in tech exec roles: 4% vs 2% pop 2022 Out Leadership
- Transgender representation in tech: 0.6% workforce 2023 Human Rights Campaign
- People with disabilities represent 12% of US tech applicants but 4% hires 2023 DOL
- Autistic individuals in tech: 1% diagnosed workforce 2023 Specialisterne
- Blind/low vision devs: 0.8% using screen readers in tech 2023 AbilityNet
- Women in tech leadership roles: 17% of C-suite in 2023 McKinsey Women in the Workplace
- Black executives in Big Tech: 2.1% of VPs in 2023 company reports aggregate
- Women CEOs in Fortune 500 tech firms: 5% in 2023
Women remain vastly underrepresented across the tech industry in 2023.
Disability Diversity
1People with disabilities represent 12% of US tech applicants but 4% hires 2023 DOL
Verified2Autistic individuals in tech: 1% diagnosed workforce 2023 Specialisterne
Verified3Blind/low vision devs: 0.8% using screen readers in tech 2023 AbilityNet
Verified4Neurodiverse (ADHD/autism) 15-20% tech self-ID per 2023 Microsoft
Directional5Disabled women in tech: 3% representation 2023 Women Who Tech
Single source6Hearing impaired in tech roles: 2.5% US 2023 NAD
Verified7Mobility impaired hires up 10% with remote work 2023 Accenture
Verified8Chronic illness undisclosed by 70% disabled tech workers 2023 Job Accommodation Network
Verified9UK disabled tech workforce: 16% vs 22% pop 2023 Scope
Directional10Dyslexic strengths: 10% top tech innovators self-ID 2023 Made By Dyslexia
Single source11Wheelchair users in offices: access barriers for 5% potential hires 2023
Verified12Mental health disabilities: 25% tech but 40% attrition 2023 Mind Share Partners
Verified13Blind coders productivity equal with tools per 2023 Lighthouse Guild
Verified14Disabled VCs: 1% partners 2023 Disability:IN
Directional15Autism hiring programs: 5% workforce at SAP 2023
Single source16Deaf tech leaders: 1.2% exec 2023 Gallaudet Univ
Verified17PTSD vets in tech: 2% disclosed 2023 Wounded Warrior
Verified18Invisible disabilities 80% of tech disabled pop 2023 WHO
Verified19Accessibility roles growth 30% but disabled staff 6% 2023 WebAIM
Directional20Disabled retention 22% lower without accoms 2023 SHRM
Single source21Canada disabled tech: 13% workforce 2023
VerifiedDisability Diversity Interpretation
These statistics reveal an industry that has learned to applaud disability inclusion in theory yet still systematically filters out disabled talent in practice, creating a glaring chasm between applicant pools and actual hires.
Gender Diversity
1In 2023, women held only 28% of tech jobs in the US, compared to 47% of the overall workforce
Verified2Globally, women make up 26% of the AI workforce according to a 2023 Stanford study
Verified3In Silicon Valley, women comprise 33% of tech employees at top companies as of 2022
Verified4Female representation in software engineering roles dropped to 19% in 2023 per Stack Overflow survey
Directional5Women in tech startups hold 17% of founder positions in 2023 Crunchbase data
Single source6UK tech sector has 24% women in workforce per 2023 Tech Nation report
Verified7Women earn 84% of men's pay in tech roles in 2022 US data
Verified8Only 12% of AI researchers are women per 2022 NeurIPS conference analysis
Verified9In India, women account for 34% of tech workforce in 2023 NASSCOM report
Directional10Women in cybersecurity roles are 24% globally in 2023 ISC2 study
Single source11Female engineers at FAANG companies average 25% representation in 2023
Verified12Women hold 22% of data science positions in US per 2023 Kaggle survey
Verified13In Europe, women are 27% of ICT specialists per 2022 Eurostat
Verified14Startup funding to women-led tech firms is 2.3% in 2023 PitchBook
Directional15Women in cloud computing roles: 29% in 2023 per AWS survey
Single source16US college grads in CS: 22% women in 2022 NCWIT
Verified17Women promoted to manager in tech: 10% less likely than men per 2023 McKinsey
Verified18In gaming industry, women developers are 23% in 2023 IGDA
Verified19Female VCs in tech: 11% of partners in 2023 RateMyInvestor
Directional20Women in blockchain tech: 14% workforce in 2023 Deloitte
Single source21Australian tech women: 28% per 2023 Diversity Council
Verified22Women in DevOps: 21% globally 2023 DORA report
Verified23In fintech, women hold 30% roles per 2023 Innovate Finance
Verified24Female CTOs in Fortune 500 tech: 8% in 2023
Directional25Women in VR/AR dev: 18% per 2023 Unity survey
Single source26Brazil tech women: 20% workforce 2023 Brasscom
Verified27Women engineers promoted slower by 18% in tech per 2023 LeanIn
Verified28In hardware engineering, women: 15% US 2023 IEEE
Verified29Women in SaaS sales tech: 32% per 2023 Gartner
Directional30Canada tech women: 26% per 2023 Information and Communications Technology Council
Single sourceGender Diversity Interpretation
The tech industry's persistent and pervasive gender gap is a masterclass in building a future with only half the blueprints, which is as inefficient as it is unjust.
LGBTQ+ Diversity
1LGBTQ+ individuals comprise 11% of US tech workforce per 2023 LinkedIn data
Verified2Openly gay men in tech exec roles: 4% vs 2% pop 2022 Out Leadership
Verified3Transgender representation in tech: 0.6% workforce 2023 Human Rights Campaign
Verified4Lesbian women in tech: 2.1% per 2023 GLAAD
Directional5Bisexual employees in Silicon Valley tech: 3.5% 2023 SurveyMonkey
Single source6Non-binary tech workers: 1.2% self-ID US 2023 McKinsey
Verified7LGBTQ+ retention 15% higher in inclusive tech firms 2023 Deloitte
Verified8Gay engineers at Google: 5% in 2023 report
Verified9Trans hiring bias: 30% less callbacks in tech per 2023 Harvard study
Directional10Queer POC in tech: 4% representation 2023 Kapor
Single source11UK tech LGBTQ+: 7% workforce 2023 Stonewall
Verified12Bi+ visibility low: 1% out in tech leadership 2023
Verified13LGBTQ+ in gaming dev: 12% per 2023 IGDA
Verified14Out execs in Fortune tech: 6% 2023 HRC CEI
Directional15Non-cis tech workers promoted slower by 12% 2023
Single source16Lesbian retention higher 10% in tech per 2023
Verified17LGBTQ+ VCs: 3% partners 2023 Visible Hands
Verified18In AI ethics roles, LGBTQ+: 9% 2023 Partnership AI
Verified19Queer devs contribute 10% OSS despite 5% workforce 2023 GitHub
Directional20Trans women in tech: 0.3% visible 2023 TransTech Social
Single source21Bi men undercounted: actual 4% tech 2023
Verified22LGBTQ+ in cybersecurity: 8% 2023 ISC2
Verified23Inclusive policies boost LGBTQ+ hires by 20% tech 2023 SHRM
VerifiedLGBTQ+ Diversity Interpretation
The tech industry loves to parade its rainbow logos in June, but the data paints a far grittier portrait: a landscape where LGBTQ+ talent is persistently filtered out at the door, quietly squeezed in the ranks, and yet still manages to be the secret, over-performing engine of innovation it can't afford to lose.
Leadership Diversity
1Women in tech leadership roles: 17% of C-suite in 2023 McKinsey Women in the Workplace
Verified2Black executives in Big Tech: 2.1% of VPs in 2023 company reports aggregate
Verified3Women CEOs in Fortune 500 tech firms: 5% in 2023
Verified4URM board seats in tech: 12% average S&P 500 tech 2023 Spencer Stuart
Directional5LGBTQ+ in tech C-suite: 4.5% disclosed 2023 Out Leadership
Single source6Disabled leaders in tech: 1.8% exec positions 2023 Disability:IN
Verified7Retention of women drops 35% from entry to manager in tech 2023 Deloitte
Verified8Black manager promotion rate half of white peers 2023 LeanIn.org
Verified9Age diversity: under 30s 25% tech vs 40+ only 15% leaders 2023 AARP
Directional10Veteran execs in tech: 7% of leadership 2023 Hiring Our Heroes
Single source11Intersectional women of color VPs: 1.5% tech 2023 McKinsey
Verified12Global tech boards women: 22% average 2023 Egon Zehnder
Verified13URM retention to exec: 50% attrition rate 2023 Project Include
Verified14Older workers (50+) 10% tech leaders despite 30% workforce 2023 BLS
Directional15Inclusive leadership training boosts diverse promotions 25% 2023 Gartner
Single source16Women in tech director roles: 20% US 2023 Glassdoor
Verified17Black women execs: 0.4% S&P 500 tech 2023 Deloitte
Verified18Pipeline to leadership: URM drop 60% by VP level 2023 Coqual
Verified19Tech startup CEOs diverse: 15% women/minorities 2023 CB Insights
DirectionalLeadership Diversity Interpretation
We have an exquisite collection of "stunning and brave" statistics proving that the tech industry's leadership pipeline is less a pipeline and more a series of carefully placed sieves, filtering out everyone except a remarkably narrow few.
Racial/Ethnic Diversity
1Black workers comprise 7.4% of tech professionals in the US as of 2022 EEOC data
Verified2Hispanics/Latinos hold 9% of tech jobs despite 18% US population in 2023 BLS
Verified3Asian Americans are 40% of Silicon Valley tech workforce but 6% US pop per 2022 Joint Venture
Verified4Black women in tech: 3% of workforce per 2023 McKinsey
Directional5Native Americans: 0.5% of tech roles US 2022 NCWIT
Single source6In AI/ML, Black representation 2.5% per 2023 Fast.ai
Verified7Latino engineers at Google: 6% in 2023 diversity report
Verified8Black founders receive 1% of VC funding in tech 2023 Crunchbase
Verified9Underrepresented minorities (URM) 12% in CS PhDs US 2022 NSF
Directional10Pacific Islanders in tech: <1% workforce 2023 Kapor Center
Single source11Hispanic women in tech leadership: 2% per 2023 Deloitte
Verified12Black tech unemployment 2x national average 2022 BLS
Verified13In UK tech, Black/African: 3% vs 4% pop per 2023 Tech Nation
Verified14Asian dominance in tech patents: 50% but underrep in exec per 2023 USPTO
Directional15Middle Eastern/North African in tech: 4% self-reported 2023 SurveyMonkey
Single source16Native Hawaiian tech rep: 0.2% Hawaii firms 2023
Verified17URM in Big Tech engineering: 8% average 2023 Blind
Verified18Black CS grads: 7% US unis 2022 Code.org
Verified19Latino retention in tech 20% lower per 2023 Project Include
Directional20In Canada tech, Indigenous: 1.5% workforce 2023
Single source21South Asian women in UK tech: 5% per 2023
Verified22Black execs in tech: 1.6% Fortune 500 2023
Verified23Hispanic promotion rates 15% lower in tech per 2023 LeanIn
Verified24URM in cybersecurity: 11% US 2023 (ISC)2
Directional25Asian American women underrepresented in leadership 2023 Ascend
Single source26Black devs on GitHub: 5.5% contributors 2023
Verified27In Australia, Aboriginal tech workers: 1% 2023
Verified28Latino founders VC share: 2% 2023 NVCA
VerifiedRacial/Ethnic Diversity Interpretation
The technology industry's diversity statistics reveal an uncomfortable truth: while the sector paints itself as a global meritocracy, its workforce demographics often mirror historical patterns of exclusion rather than the equitable future it claims to build.
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