The U.S. ranks 16th in the world among countries that are best for remote work, according to new research by cybersecurity company NordLayer. Last year, the company created its Global Remote Work Index (GRWI) to reveal the best and worst countries to work remotely. The ranking is based on four criteria: cyber safety, economic safety, digital and physical infrastructure, and social safety.
Here are the top 10 best countries for remote work, according to this year’s data:
- Denmark
- The Netherlands
- Germany
- Spain
- Sweden
- Portugal
- Estonia
- Lithuania
- Ireland
- Slovakia
NordLayer researchers assessed and compared 108 countries (up from 66 last year) using four index dimensions to compile the ranking. Under each dimension are various attributes (sub-dimensions) that, combined, help evaluate general remote-work attractiveness:
- Cyber safety: infrastructure, response capacity, and legal measures.
- Economic safety: tourism attractiveness, English language proficiency, cost of living, and healthcare.
- Digital and physical infrastructure: internet quality and affordability, e-infrastructure, e-government, and physical infrastructure.
- Social safety: personal rights, inclusiveness, and safety
How Does The U.S. Rank?
The U.S. experienced a drop in ranking this year, and now ranks 16th compared to third place last year. Two factors account for the drop:
- Cyber safety-wise, the U.S. ranks 33rd partially due to its drop in the legal measures ranking (down to 20 from seventh place in 2022).
- The U.S. ranked 37th for social safety factors, which substituted the COVID-19 pandemic handling factor from 2022. The main determinant was a drop in safety ranking (62 from 52), with inclusiveness (28) and personal rights (20) rankings also weighing down the overall results.
On the bright side, the U.S. ranks first for cybersecurity infrastructure and ninth for response capacity. In other more positive rankings, the U.S. is second in economic safety…
