Who are the people delivering on Wolt?
More than 260,000 people deliver on Wolt to achieve their goals by earning what they need, when they need it, and on their own terms. A global study conducted by Copenhagen Economics sheds light on this demand for flexible platform work. Scroll down to learn more about the people you meet when you order from Wolt.
Survey highlights
8 h
That’s the average hours courier partners deliver per week on Wolt.
79%
of couriers deliver on Wolt because they prefer it over other earning opportunities.
87%
of couriers prefer delivering on Wolt as independent contractors over being employed.
Backgrounds
Who delivers on Wolt?
Behind every delivery is a human story. Wolt courier partners come from all walks of life, with their unique backgrounds, goals, and ambitions. They are students, parents, entrepreneurs, and people looking to supplement their income with flexible opportunities to earn on Wolt.
88%
of couriers have jobs, are studying or have other responsibilities besides delivering on Wolt. Couriers come from a broad range of backgrounds and most of them deliver on Wolt to supplement their existing income.
42%
of courier partners have full- or part-time employment.
17%
are self-employed outside the platform economy.
21%
of our courier partners are students.
8%
stay at home to care for family members.
Did you know?
29%
graduated from a university or university of applied sciences.
8 h
is the average hours courier partners deliver per week.
83%
of courier partners deliver less than 20 hours in a week.
Age distribution
12%
18-24
26%
25-34
29%
35-44
20%
45-54
14%
55+
Courier story
Meet Nirajan, a family man and Wolt courier partner who just finished his master’s degree.
Nirjan is balancing his life in Finland, which includes parenting, academia and delivering on Wolt.
Balancing life, studies, and work in Finland as a Wolt partner.
Being a parent isn’t easy, and neither is earning an advanced degree. Add a full-time job to the mix, and you’ve got a high-stakes juggling act. This is the daily challenge faced by Nirajan T., who moved to Finland 12 years ago from Nepal. The challenge is made simpler, however, thanks to the flexibility of being a Wolt courier partner. When Nirajan was preparing to begin a Master’s degree in Intercultural Communication at the University of Jyväskylä, he needed a way to earn money in a flexible way that suits his schedule. So, in 2019, he became a Wolt partner, and has appreciated that aspect of his partnership ever since.
“You choose when you want to work, how long, how much you want to earn on a given day. I like being able to decide this for myself.” It’s especially helpful, Nirajan says, in making it possible for his wife to work according to her job’s schedule while also accommodating the school and hobby itineraries of their two children. “My eldest daughter loves playing basketball, and the younger one loves swimming and visiting new places. It’s great that I can make time to support those things.”
Now that he recently finished his Master’s degree, Nirajan looks forward to a new kind of flexibility. He may stay in Finland to pursue his career, but could choose to return to Nepal with his family, where his parents still live. “Everything has pros and cons. The important thing is what you choose to look for. If you concentrate on the positive things in front of you, it makes it easier to get where you want in your life.”
Nirajan has honed this perspective while maintaining a personal blog in his native Nepalese for over a decade, which he uses to introspect on his experiences and observations. “Of course I have the dream to do something big with my life, but Wolt has given me a great avenue to continue studying and to organize my life in a way that suits me at the moment.”
Whether you encounter Nirajan on your doorstep with a Wolt delivery or find yourself opposite him in an online chess match, you’ll meet someone with an easy smile and plenty of wisdom to share.
Motivations
Why do people choose to deliver on Wolt?
Flexibility, independence, and financial stability are the main reasons why people choose to deliver on Wolt. Based on insights from this study, couriers prefer arranging work around their lives, not the other way around.
79%
of couriers deliver on Wolt because they prefer it over other earning opportunities.
75%
say Wolt offers unique flexibility to decide how many hours to deliver, which they cannot get from other earning opportunities.
67%
say Wolt offers unparalleled freedom to plan work around other activities, e.g. hobbies, travel, exercise, or studies.
64%
of courier partners feel less stressed about their financial situation thanks to Wolt.
59% say that they deliver on Wolt to generate savings or pay off debt.
56% deliver on Wolt to improve their lifestyles or make a big purchase like a car or a computer.
23% of couriers deliver to finance their studies or their own business.
Courier story
Meet Sandra, an entrepreneur and Wolt courier partner with a green thumb
Sandra M. is constantly on the move as a university student, a small business owner, and the mother of a six-year-old.
Juggling is just a way of life for this working mother from Estonia.
Sandra M. is constantly on the move as a university student, a small business owner, and the mother of a six-year-old. At her countryside home, she also takes care of the household and cultivates a large garden. But for her, being a Wolt courier partner isn’t another chore to worry about, it’s a key piece of the lifestyle she’s intentionally crafted for herself. “I manage everything on the go, sometimes very creatively. It does require some juggling, but I’m used to it.”
It’s not a carefree lifestyle, but Sandra refuses to see challenges as anything other than opportunities. “I’m not one of those people who worries too much or views life as a struggle,” she says. Having an income is vital, but so is flexibility. When she isn’t spending time with her child, working in the garden, or managing her screen printing business, being a Wolt partner allows Sandra to earn money according to her own needs and schedule. “When I was employed, I took breaks when I could, not when I wanted to. With the Wolt platform, I take a break whenever I need one by just turning off the app. And unlike a traditional job, I don’t need to inform anyone whether I will be online doing deliveries or not.
Sandra’s outlook is an inspiration to the people around her, but her confidence is tempered with hard-earned wisdom. And without the personal meaning that her lifestyle helps to create and sustain, she imagines life would be boring. “I don’t focus on problems, I look for solutions. But I also know when to ask for help.”
If you cross paths with her, you’ll notice that in addition to herbs and vegetables, Sandra likes to cultivate goodwill, always making time for a greeting, or to hold a door open for a stranger. “I call these human gestures,” she says with a smile. “The world could use more of them these days.”
Policy-making
What do couriers think about regulating platform work?
Most couriers highly value the independence and flexibility, and the majority are also clear about how they want legislators to protect it. While 93% of couriers say they know the difference between independent contracting and employment, their responses might still reflect individual understandings of how each model would work in practice. Wolt encourages more research to explore important details on alternative models of work for couriers.
Take a look below – you might be surprised by the experiences and preferences among couriers.
87%
of couriers prefer delivering on Wolt as independent contractors over delivering as employees, based on their knowledge about the differences.
81%
want laws to protect their ability to choose when to deliver and which tasks to accept freely.
57%
think lawmakers should allow platform companies to provide better protections and benefits for independent contractors.
81%
think new laws should not force anyone to change their status from independent contractor to employee against their will.
91%
is the satisfaction rate of couriers delivering on Wolt. The global rating by couriers is 4,6/5. Overall, they feel positive about the experience.
70% think their experience on Wolt is better than most people think.
63% think delivering on Wolt offers valuable work experience.
61% of courier partners feel proud to deliver on Wolt.
Courier stories
What do couriers say about Wolt?
Challenges
Where can Wolt improve?
At Wolt, we value honest feedback from all users of the platform, including couriers, and we’re listening. While we are proud of our partnerships, we know that there’s always room to grow. See some of the challenges highlighted by this study and the actions we’re taking to make Wolt an even better choice for flexible, independent work.
11%
are dissatisfied with their partnership with Wolt. We still have work to do as a company to make delivering with Wolt better. Through our global Feedback Loop program, we’re regularly meeting courier partners to understand what matters most to them, helping us develop a platform that reflects their needs.
13%
do not think delivering on Wolt has improved their financial stability. We want to offer a financially attractive partnership for all courier partners. To do that, we need to balance the number of active courier partners with the volume of available delivery opportunities. We’re always looking for ways to improve this balance and build a sustainable platform for all our users.
57%
think lawmakers should allow platform companies to provide better protections and benefits for self-employed workers. We agree! Wolt already provides free accident and liability insurance, and we’re advocating for even stronger protections that keep couriers’ independence intact.
Curious about what couriers answered in your country?
Download a summary survey insights for the country that you are interested in and dive into the local nuances.
About Wolt
Wolt is a Helsinki-based technology company with a mission to bring joy, simplicity and earnings to the neighborhoods of the world. Wolt develops a local commerce platform that connects people looking to order food, groceries, and other goods with people interested in selling and delivering them. Wolt was founded in 2014 and joined forces with DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH) in 2022.
Together, we operate in more than 30 countries today, 28 of which are with the Wolt product and brand.
You can read more on the Wolt website.
About the study
The research was conducted in June 2024 by Copenhagen Economics, one of Europe’s leading economics firms.
The study gathered responses from over 20,000 courier partners across 23 countries. The survey took place in June 2024, gathering insights from couriers delivering on the Wolt platform between April and June 2024 in the following countries: Austria, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.