Remote work in Europe: Which countries lead the way and why?
The UK has the highest rate of telework among 18 European countries, with employees working an average of 1.8 days a week from home. On a wider scale, this total also places the UK second out 40 nations.
But, aside from the UK, how do work-from-home (WFH) rates differ across Europe and the world? And what might explain variations between countries?
The Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA) shows that telework trends have evolved since the COVID-19 pandemic. The fourth wave of the survey, conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, covers full-time workers aged 20 to 64 who have completed tertiary education (college or university).
While the global telework average stands at 1.2 days per week, WFH rates vary significantly across the 40 countries surveyed, ranging from just 0.5 days per week in South Korea to 1.9 days in Canada.
Several factors underpin the UK's top ranking, according to Dr. Cevat Giray Aksoy, lead economist at the EBRD and associate professor of economics at King's College London.
'The UK scores highly on cultural individualism, which is strongly associated with comfort in autonomous work environments,' said Giray Aksoy.
Aksoy noted that the UK experienced long and stringent lockdowns, accelerating the adoption of remote work infrastructure and norms. He also explained that the UK's labour market is concentrated in service sectors — such as finance, consulting, and media — where WFH can be a practical option.
"Crucially, British workers have developed strong and durable preferences for hybrid work, typically wanting 2–3 WFH days per week. This is no longer a marginal benefit; it's a core expectation," he said.
Aksoy warned that firms ignoring this reality may face a serious disadvantage in attracting and retaining talent — particularly when competing with employers in other English-speaking countries that have embraced flexibility.
In Europe, Finland (1.7 days) and Germany (1.6 days) followed the UK in the ranking. The WFH rates are also relatively high in Portugal (1.5 days), as well as in Hungary and the Netherlands (both 1.4 days).
Employees in Czechia, Italy, and Sweden work from home 1.3 days per week, which is slightly above the global average. Romania, Spain, and Austria align with the global average, each reporting 1.2 remote work days per week.
Dr. Aksoy attributes the variation across European countries to a mix of structural, cultural, and economic factors.
'Among these, the most powerful predictor is individualism — a cultural trait that emphasises personal autonomy, self-reliance, and independence over collective goals or close supervision,' he said.
He added that other factors also play a role. These include the severity and duration of COVID-19 lockdowns, population density, and the industrial structure of each economy. For instance, countries with a larger share of remote-friendly sectors such as IT and finance are better positioned to support hybrid models. Densely populated countries also often see higher WFH levels, in part due to longer commutes.
Greece reports the lowest WFH rate in Europe at just 0.6 days per week.
'Part of the explanation lies in the structure of the Greek economy, which leans heavily on sectors like tourism, retail, and hospitality — jobs that generally require physical presence,' said Aksoy.
'But deeper cultural and institutional factors also play a role. Greece scores relatively low on individualism,' he added.
He stated that digital adoption and management practices were relatively underdeveloped before the pandemic, which likely slowed the normalisation of WFH.
While Finland ranks second in Europe with 1.7 remote work days per week, Norway and Denmark report significantly lower rates at just 0.9 days. Sweden, with 1.3 days, sits in between, reflecting a clear divide in remote work trends across the Nordic countries.
Aksoy explained that Finland has a slightly more individualistic culture and a long-standing emphasis on work-life balance and employee autonomy compared to Denmark and Norway, which may maintain more traditional management practices.
'Finnish organisations, especially in the public sector and technology industries, were early adopters of flexible work policies — even before the pandemic,' he added.
Among Europe's five largest economies, France has the lowest remote work rate, with employees averaging just 1 day per week from home. Turkey follows closely at 0.9 days, while Poland is slightly ahead with 1.1 days.
Overall levels of working from home have declined globally, dropping from an average of 1.6 days per week in 2022 to 1.33 days in 2023. In 2024 and 2025, they fell far more modestly to 1.27 days.
The research concludes that remote work levels have roughly stabilised since 2023.
'However, this stability doesn't mean stasis. Incremental shifts could still occur — driven by new technologies, changing demographics, or evolving labour market conditions,' Aksoy added.
Europe needs to boost its growth in the face of global headwinds or risk losing its way of life, said the head of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva on Wednesday.
'I don't want Europe to become the United States of America, but I want the productivity and functionality of Europe to go up,' she told Euronews.
'In Europe we enjoy being a lifestyle superpower. Unless we become more productive we may lose this advantage,' she added.
Georgieva was speaking ahead of the publication of a new IMF statement on Thursday, which offers economic suggestions to eurozone nations.
One key message is that Europe must speed up progress on the single market, which ensures the free movement of goods, services, capital and people between single market nations.
'There are no tariffs within Europe, but it doesn't mean there are no barriers in Europe, regulatory and otherwise,' Georgieva told Euronews.
The IMF estimates that barriers to free movement in the single market are equivalent to a 44% tariff on goods and a 110% tariff on services.
Georgieva noted that in the US, what is produced in one state is split 30-70, meaning 30% is consumed in that state and 70% is sent to other states. In Europe, on the other hand, 70% of production is consumed domestically while 30% is sent abroad. This is a set-up that limits growth by keeping markets smaller and less competitive.
'If Europe completes the single market, over 10 years, it would boost GDP by 3%,' said Georgieva.
Means to advance progress on this front include lowering regulatory fragmentation, supporting labour mobility, facilitating cross-border banking mergers, integrating the energy market, and making progress on the capital markets union (CMU) — said the IMF.
The CMU aims to allow investment and savings to flow seamlessly across member states. This would make it easier for businesses in one EU state to source funding from another EU state, supporting firms to grow and create jobs.
In terms of deepening capital markets, the IMF's statement added that the EU should 'increase institutional investors' familitary with venture capital as an asset class and address remaining undue restrictions on their ability to invest in it'.
Looking ahead, the IMF expects eurozone growth at a moderate 0.8% in 2025, picking up to 1.2% in 2026.
Trade and geopolitical tensions are expected to dampen sentiment and weigh on investment and consumption.
With regards to interest rates, the IMF argued that 'a monetary policy stance close to neutral is justified' as headline inflation nears the ECB's 2% target.
When balancing spending pressures with fiscal sustainability, the IMF recommended that countries with strong public finances support countries with less room for manoeuvre.
'It is crucial that care be taken in implementing the EU fiscal rules to ensure that countries with low fiscal risks that intend to increase spending to boost potential growth and enhance resilience should not be constrained from doing so by the rules,' said Thursday's statement.
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