Global Remote Work Index 2023

Discover the best scoring countries to accommodate remote employees

Global remote index 2023 landing page map

Global rank

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The best countries for remote work

  1. Denmark

  2. Netherlands

  3. Germany

  4. Spain

  5. Sweden

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This map is based on data available at Natural Earth. Data is in public domain.

The data for the GRWI was analyzed in the first half of 2023.

What is it?

What is the Global Remote Work Index?

The Global Remote Work Index evaluates the potential of 108 countries to qualify as top remote work destinations. This index measures four main dimensions: cybersecurity, economics, infrastructure, and, since this year, a new addition—social safety criteria—to ensure the quality of remote work.

Global remote work index statistic illustration

Cyber safety

Cyber safety pertains to a diverse array of factors that comprise a safe and secure digital environment required for remote work. This dimension covers infrastructure integrity, digital threat response capacity, and the level of cybersecurity-target legislation.

Economic safety

The concept of economic safety entails the various economic aspects of living and working in a particular country. It refers to the cost of living, healthcare access, ease of communication, and opportunities for quality free time.

Digital & physical infrastructure

The dimension of digital & physical infrastructure refers to the country’s digital capabilities to provide and support a stable, fast, and broad internet service and ensure convenient and safe physical infrastructure for traveling around.

Social safety

Social safety incorporates social and physical security aspects of working and living remotely. It combines the components of overall safety from crimes within a country with metrics evaluating equity and access to human rights.

OUR FINDINGS

Which countries score the highest?

1

Denmark

GRWI score 0.847

2

Netherlands

GRWI score 0.843

3

Germany

GRWI score 0.842

4

Spain

GRWI score 0.825

5

Sweden

GRWI score 0.824

6

Portugal

GRWI score 0.824

7

Estonia

GRWI score 0.818

8

Lithuania

GRWI score 0.808

9

Ireland

GRWI score 0.803

10

Slovakia

GRWI score 0.802

11

Finland

GRWI score 0.801

12

Belgium

GRWI score 0.801

13

Iceland

GRWI score 0.796

14

Canada

GRWI score 0.793

15

France

GRWI score 0.792

16

USA

GRWI score 0.790

17

South Korea

GRWI score 0.788

18

Poland

GRWI score 0.787

19

United Kingdom

GRWI score 0.787

20

Norway

GRWI score 0.785

21

Czech Republic

GRWI score 0.785

22

Japan

GRWI score 0.785

23

Austria

GRWI score 0.781

24

Croatia

GRWI score 0.781

25

Australia

GRWI score 0.779

26

Italy

GRWI score 0.778

27

Luxembourg

GRWI score 0.778

28

Singapore

GRWI score 0.776

29

Switzerland

GRWI score 0.772

30

Malta

GRWI score 0.767

31

Latvia

GRWI score 0.766

32

Greece

GRWI score 0.766

33

Slovenia

GRWI score 0.760

34

New Zealand

GRWI score 0.758

35

Cyprus

GRWI score 0.751

36

Hungary

GRWI score 0.747

37

Serbia

GRWI score 0.737

38

Romania

GRWI score 0.731

39

China

GRWI score 0.720

40

Israel

GRWI score 0.720

41

Malaysia

GRWI score 0.706

42

Bulgaria

GRWI score 0.702

43

Uruguay

GRWI score 0.690

44

Saudi Arabia

GRWI score 0.685

45

UAE

GRWI score 0.668

46

Georgia

GRWI score 0.662

47

North Macedonia

GRWI score 0.658

48

Morocco

GRWI score 0.657

49

Thailand

GRWI score 0.654

50

Chile

GRWI score 0.651

51

Albania

GRWI score 0.649

52

Moldova

GRWI score 0.648

53

Tunisia

GRWI score 0.645

54

Costa Rica

GRWI score 0.645

55

Argentina

GRWI score 0.644

56

Qatar

GRWI score 0.639

57

Turkey

GRWI score 0.633

58

Mauritius

GRWI score 0.630

59

Vietnam

GRWI score 0.622

60

Peru

GRWI score 0.620

61

Brazil

GRWI score 0.619

62

Mexico

GRWI score 0.614

63

Panama

GRWI score 0.613

64

India

GRWI score 0.610

65

South Africa

GRWI score 0.608

66

Azerbaijan

GRWI score 0.606

67

Armenia

GRWI score 0.604

68

Philippines

GRWI score 0.599

69

Egypt

GRWI score 0.598

70

Kazakhstan

GRWI score 0.598

71

Colombia

GRWI score 0.598

72

Oman

GRWI score 0.595

73

Dominican Republic

GRWI score 0.594

74

Montenegro

GRWI score 0.586

75

Indonesia

GRWI score 0.586

76

Paraguay

GRWI score 0.584

77

Bahrain

GRWI score 0.569

78

Jamaica

GRWI score 0.566

79

Ghana

GRWI score 0.552

80

Ecuador

GRWI score 0.550

81

Trinidad and Tobago

GRWI score 0.549

82

Zambia

GRWI score 0.543

83

Bosnia and Herzegovina

GRWI score 0.537

84

Bangladesh

GRWI score 0.533

85

Sri Lanka

GRWI score 0.528

86

Botswana

GRWI score 0.526

87

Nigeria

GRWI score 0.523

88

Kyrgyzstan

GRWI score 0.515

89

Nepal

GRWI score 0.513

90

Algeria

GRWI score 0.512

91

Jordan

GRWI score 0.509

92

Kenya

GRWI score 0.509

93

Pakistan

GRWI score 0.505

94

Uganda

GRWI score 0.501

95

Bolivia

GRWI score 0.492

96

Mongolia

GRWI score 0.491

97

Tanzania

GRWI score 0.475

98

Senegal

GRWI score 0.462

99

Namibia

GRWI score 0.445

100

El Salvador

GRWI score 0.435

101

Cambodia

GRWI score 0.432

102

Cameroon

GRWI score 0.424

103

Ethiopia

GRWI score 0.424

104

Guatemala

GRWI score 0.410

105

Honduras

GRWI score 0.396

106

Mozambique

GRWI score 0.393

107

Zimbabwe

GRWI score 0.362

108

Angola

GRWI score 0.321

The data for the GRWI was analyzed in the first half of 2023.

Download the GRWI list

Global rank

#0

GRWI score

0.000

Countries score chart

WHERE TO GO

Compare the best countries to work remotely

For some, it’s all about the cultural experience. For others, it’s about cybersecurity, social life, infrastructure, or high-speed internet. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer—by using our intuitive tools, compare 108 countries and choose the best remote work location based on your needs.

Our insights

What can we learn from the data?

Europe’s northern regions lead in the top 10 GRWI 2023 rankings, with Germany, Spain, and Portugal in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th spots. Furthermore, most of the top half consists of European nations, except for Montenegro (74th) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (83rd).

The top-ranked countries in the overall GRWI tend to be more expensive to live in. Yet, Portugal has the smallest distance between these dimensions, ranking 6th overall and 56th in cost of living, offering the best value-for-money opportunity among the top 10 overall.

The correlation between cyber safety and social safety dimensions, as unveiled by the GRWI ranking, unequivocally establishes them as the paramount predictors of an exceptional remote work experience.

Morocco leads African countries at 48th overall, particularly standing out in terms of cyber safety and affordable living expenses. Despite lagging in digital and physical infrastructure, its appeal to tourists and low cost of living makes it an attractive option.

EXPLORE

Find your perfect remote work destination

DATA SOURCES

How are the numbers calculated?

After analyzing many scientifically sound studies, our data scientists formed comparable country scores. They took each element into account and calculated a final index that appeared as a score anywhere from 0.000 up to 1.000.

You can check the entire process and data sources to have a deeper look into the methodology.

The index is composed of four elements

25%

Cyber safety

25%

Economic safety

25%

Digital & physical infrastructure

25%

Social safety

What was the GRWI's outlook in 2022

What was the GRWI’s outlook in 2022?

Explore and compare how countries’ suitability changes over time by discovering last year’s GRWI insights.

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Would you like to know more?

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at:

press@nordlayer.com